Dimensions
by Ranwolf
Summary: Taking place about six months after "The Arrival", this is also a prequel to The Ionic Butterfly's "Final Fantasy VII: 25 Years After the Fact"
1. To Infinity...

DIMENSIONS  
by  
The Ionic Butterfly(aurelia_@yahoo.com)   
Ranwolf(ranwolf@hotmail.com)  
  
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters   
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square and Squaresoft.   
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,   
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed   
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)  
  
CHAPTER 1: TO INFINITY...  
  
Nicodemus Maza smiled to himself when he heard the water from the shower   
being turned off. He was cooking dinner for his mate, Miyabe, at her apartment.  
He turned off the burner beneath the chicken soup, and with a gloved hand, pulled  
the rolls out of the oven.   
  
Miyabe had just finished her shower that she had promised, "would only take a   
minute." Nic had started dinner when she began. Now that she was finished, so   
was she. He began setting the dinner table.   
  
"Hon? Dinner's waiting," Nic called out. Miya strolled into the kitchen, smiling.   
Nic's mind raced when he saw her.   
  
Dressed in a white tee shirt, blue jeans shorts, and socks, she was still stunning.  
Her waist-length jet black hair was still wet but combed neatly away from her face.   
The steam from the shower had turned her face from its usual porcelain white to a  
temporary red. The red brought out her jade-green eyes, which Nic would swear   
were sparkling.   
  
Nic smiled back at her as she locked arms with him to give him a quick kiss.  
He caught a whiff of her shampoo, or maybe it was her soap, but it smelled good.   
  
"Dinner smells delicious," Miya said, sitting down at the table.   
  
So do you, Nic considered saying, but kept it to himself as he sat down. As  
soon as he was seated, the doorbell rang.   
  
(Ranwolf: Don't you hate it when that happens?  
Ionic Butterfly: Yup. THat's why I have an electric doormat.  
Ranwolf: *raises an eyebrow* Whats it do? *As if on cue, the lights in the room flicker  
and a muffled scream is heard* Oh.)  
  
Nic and Miya sat staring at one another for a moment wondering who it could be.   
"I'll get it," Miya finally said.   
  
"Stay put. I'll get it," Nic said, and went to answer the door.   
  
He kept his tail carefully hidden behind his left leg as he opened the door. It was   
a deliveryman dressed in a light blue uniform. Nic felt the skin at the back of his   
neck prickle at the sight of him, but wasn't sure why. "Can I help you?" he asked.   
  
"Is this the apartment of Mr. Nicodemus Maza and Miss Miyabe Tendo?" the   
man looking at a clipboard asked in a high pitched voice.   
  
Nic wondered how anyone knew his name and that he was staying with Miya.   
"Yes, it is," he answered slowly, the prickly feeling increasing slightly.   
  
"Great. Well, if I could just get you both to sign on these lines, I have a few   
packages for you," the man said, his voice a little steadier now.   
  
Nic wondered if it was fear in the man's voice. He studied the man a little more   
closely, and read the name on his shirt. The man's name was Masa. His shirt   
said he was from the Zeal Wind Delivery Co. He spoke in slight accent he couldn't   
quite place. Nic was wary, and called to Miya. "Miya... Come here, please" he said.   
  
Nic took the clipboard from Masa and signed his name on a line. Miya appeared   
behind him, and he felt her hand on the back of his shoulder. Masa touched his   
hat in a gesture of respect for her. "Package for you, miss. If you would just sign..."  
he said.   
  
Miya smiled and took the clipboard from Nic, signing her name. "Do you know   
who it's from?" she asked.   
  
"Sorry, Miss Tendo, I'm only a delivery man," Mune said.   
  
"Brother, are you almost finished?" a voice called from the hallway.   
  
"Almost," Masa answered. He gave Nic a lopsided grin. "My brother," he said,   
jerking his thumb in the direction of the voice. He handed a small package to Miya,   
and a larger one to Nic. He also handed Nic a hefty envelope.   
  
"Look, brother! I'm the wind!" the second voice called from the hall. Nic peered   
out to see a boy dressed in the similar uniformas his brother with his arms spread  
wide, running in small circles.   
  
"Mune, behave!" Masa hissed. The boy, Mune, smiled sheepishly and   
stopped.   
  
"Be sure to tell them! Can I tell them? Please? Can I?" Muneasked, running   
up beside his brother.   
  
"Yes, Mune, you can tell them," Mune sighed.   
  
"Those who sent this said, that you must be warned to be careful. Careful and   
to keep your gifts in your possession at all times,"Masa said proudly.   
  
"I thought you said you didn't know who sent it!" Nic said, suspicion creeping   
into his voice.   
  
"We don't. We only know what the company tells us," Mune said, his voice   
getting higher.   
  
Nic nodded. Turning from the door, he used his thermograph vision to quickly   
scan the packages, making sure no bombs or harmful devices had been placed   
inside. Inside, he saw saw something but couldn't make it out, but he did not   
deem them dangerous.   
  
Miyabe had been staring at him. "Everything okay?" she asked quietly.   
  
Nic nodded and turned back to the door. Masa and Mune were gone. He stuck   
his head out of the door, looking to see where they went. They were gone, just   
like the wind. Nic went over to the window to try to see if there was a delivery  
van of some sort. It was dark outside but using his night-vision he can easily see   
in the darkness. Nothing was there.   
  
"That's strange," Nic said. He wondered who was on patrol and if they had seen   
anything.   
  
"What is it?" Miya asked.   
  
"They're gone. Something's not right. Didn't you sense it?" Nic asked, looking to   
his mate.   
  
"Well, just a bit. But I'm not sure what," she admitted.   
  
Nic sighed in frustration. "Let's open these over dinner," hesaid, heading back  
to the kitchen. Miya followed him.   
  
Nic watched carefully as Miya opened her package. Inside was a metal box.   
She slowly opened the box, and inside was a piece of copper jewelry. A thick   
and massive chain was attached to a pendant of some sort. Miya held it up,   
and the pendant caught the light and sparkled. It reminded them both of a large key.   
  
"Isn't it pretty?" Miya asked. Nic nodded, and impatiently opened his box.   
  
Inside his metal box, was also a piece of copper. Nic picked it up to inspect it.   
  
It was in the shape of an egg, but reminded Nic of a compass. The dial on it   
could be moved manually, though. The dial stopped in five different places. Words   
of some sort were written in some other language on each of the five stops.   
  
Miya noticed that in the top of the pendant was a symbol that greatly resembled   
the egg-like compass in Nic's hands. She quietly showed Nic her discovery. He   
nodded and started to open the envelope. He noticed then that no postmark or   
any kind of price paid was on the boxes or envelope.   
  
"Wait a minute," he said. "Miya, I know New York is strange, but what delivery   
service delivers after seven at night?"   
  
Miya stared at him and then found a phone book. She quickly tried to find   
Zeal Wind Delivery Co., but found nothing. She grabbed up the phone and dialed   
information. The operator informed her there was no listing for Zeal wind.  
  
"Nic, they don't exist," she said, scratching her head.   
  
A soft breeze passed through the room. "Nic-chan, the window isn't open,"   
Miya said, moving closer to him.   
  
"Look, brother, I'm the wind!" Mune had said.   
  
Nic also remembered the boy's strange warning. "What in hell..?," he wondered.   
He tore open the envelope, hoping to find some answers. He read the letter aloud.   
  
Nicodemus and Miyabe,   
You have not met me yet. But I have met you. We need you're help,   
but when you meet me, I will not know with what. I do not know now.   
You hold in your hands a set of devices called a Gate Key and a   
Chronotrigger (or Time Controller). Only four sets were ever made,  
but with the way time has been corrupted, too many exist. Many people   
have died to get this set to you. We need your help. Please, at   
midnight this very night, be at the tree marked on the map. Be sure   
to bring the set.  
Gaspar  
  
"What sense did that make?" Miya asked. "This is getting a little too weird."  
  
Nic reread the letter twice before answering. "I'm not really sure. Think I'll take   
this to the guys back at the castle, see what they have to say."   
  
Miya bit her lip. "Then I'm going with you," she said.   
  
"I don't think so." Nic answered flatly.   
  
Miya smiled a bit, knowing she would go but not wanting to argue. After a long   
eye-lock, she asked, "So where is this map Gasper spoke about?"   
  
Nic turned the page to see a map of Central Park. Miya looked over his shoulder.   
"Cleopatra's Needle" she said. "Didn't Elisa have somekind of problem there a   
few years ago?"   
  
Nic grinned. "Yeah, you could say that."   
  
"Are you going to go?" she asked craftily, still knowing she was going.   
  
"I think I have to," Nic said.   
  
"It could be Quarrymen, you know," Miya warned.   
  
Nic nodded. "If it is, How would they know about you? It's not like we're on the   
news. We can pass for a human couple pretty easily," he said.   
  
"What if they found out somehow? Maybe it's a trap. If they have us, the others  
would surely come after us." Miya said.   
  
Nic sighed, turning to the next page of the letter. He was now staring at another  
map. This map was much older. The paper was stiff and had a brownish tint from   
age. It was of a world Nic had never seen. The words were again in another language,   
the same language as that on the Chronotrigger.   
  
The map intrigued Nic for some strange reason. He didn't want to put Miya in   
danger, but could all but read the determination on her face. "You can go with me   
to the castle," he said.   
  
Miya smiled. I'm going further than that, she thought.   
  
"Let's eat. Then we'll go," he said.  
  
*****  
  
"Who did ye say sent this?," Hudson asked, holding the Gate Key up to his   
good eye.   
  
"These two guys from Zeal Wind Delivery Co. Their names were Masa and Mune.   
Strangely enough, they didn't know who it was from. How did they know _my_ name,   
and that I could be found at Miya's?," Nic said.   
  
Lexington was holding the Chronotrigger, completely amazed. "I've never seen   
anything like this. It's... so old ,yet so advanced at the same time. It seems to   
contain some sort of power." he said.   
  
Nic looked at Lexington with a wry grin. "What gave you that idea?" he asked.   
  
Lexington looked up. "I just... Are you poking fun of me?" he asked, smiling.   
Miya let out a small laugh.   
  
"Ever seen that writing before, Hudson?" Nic asked, showing him the ancient map.   
  
"Nay. But if ye gave us a few nights we be able to figure it out," the gargoyle   
answered. "Perhaps the Grinorum will have answers."  
  
Miya blinked. "I heard it was destroyed."  
  
"You really think Xanatos didn't make a copy or two, just in case?," Lex replied.  
  
Bronx wandered into the room to see what was going on. Miya smiled at him   
and he sat down at her feet.   
  
"We don't have that much time. Where's Brooklyn and Broadway?" Nic asked.   
  
"Brooklyn went out with Avery, Angela and Broadway are watching the hatchlings"  
  
"What about Pop?"   
  
"Elisa's place."   
  
"So, do you think it's a trap?" Miya blurted out. Everyone looked at her. "What?   
Like it couldn't be Quarrymen?" she asked.   
  
"I dinna think aboot that," Hudson said.   
  
"I'm going to find Brooklyn and Broadway. We'll all go to the park at midnight,"   
Lexington said.   
  
"No. Someone has to stay here with Miya," Nic said.   
  
"I'm going," she said stubbornly.   
  
Nic sighed and shook his head. "You are not," he said.   
  
"Bronx kin stay with her," Hudson said, "I dinna think he'll mind." Bronx seemed   
to grin in response.   
  
"I'm going." Miya said stubbornly. "That's final."  
  
*****  
  
"I don't beleive they left me behind!!!!" Miyabe yelled, when Avery found   
the short japanese woman in a closet a few minutes after the others had left.  
  
"What's going on here?" Avery asked. "Who locked you in the closet?"  
Avery saw Miya's eyes smoulder in anger, if she didn't know better she'd   
say they were about to light up. Bronx whimpered at her side looking distraught   
at Miya, as he followed her.  
  
"Nic no yaro..." she hissed, making her way past the hybrid. Miya stormed  
her way to where her things were.   
  
Angela was coming out of the bathroom when she spotted Miya with Avery   
following a short distance behind. "What's worng with Miyabe?," she asked Avery.  
  
"I don't know," the blond hybrid answered, "but the girl's pissed and it has   
something to do with your brother."  
  
"CHIKUSO!!!" The two heard Miya scream. "He took my keys!"  
  
"Miya, what in the world is going on?" Angela asked, trying to calm Miya down.  
Miya told them about the packages and the map. "So Nic locked you in the closet?"  
  
Miyabe nodded. "Hai" She then said something that roughly translated to:   
"When I find him, I'm gonna rip his tail off and stuff it down his throat!"  
  
"Miya," said Avery to her, "deep breaths. You're going to give yourself   
aneurism." Miya did as told. After a few seconds she visibly calmed. "Feel better?"  
  
"A little, but I'm still gonna kill him. The letter asked both of us to be there."  
  
"Well then, let's go," Avery said, heading to her room and quickly returning   
with a set of keys and a pair of black, police-issue nightsticks.  
  
"I suppose you want me to keep watching the hatchlings?" Angela asked wryly.  
  
"Would you?"  
  
Angela sighed. "I don't have much choice, do I?" She watched as her friends   
headed out to head to Central Park. Angela looked down at her swollen belly,   
placing her hand gently on it "As much as I love being pregnant..." She left the  
statement hanging in the air.  
  
(Ionic Butterfly: Wouldn't someone have noticed the screaming coming   
from the closet before this scene takes place?  
Ranwolf: Uhm... It's one of those flubs that show up in stories every once in a while.  
Ionic Butterfly: Oh. So you put that in on purpose.  
Ranwolf: Uh.. Yeah? )  
*****  
  
Nic, disguise to look as human as he could, was sitting at a bench near  
the Needle. He didn't know exactly what he was waiting for. Four gargoyles  
were hidden within the vicinity. He had the Chronotrigger and Gate Key in   
one of his trench coat pockets, and the ancient map in another. He looked   
at his watch. It was ten 'til midnight.   
  
The only thing on his mind was how angry Miyabe had been when he really   
left her behind at the castle with Bronx. He knew hell was going to have to be   
paid to get her to even speak to him again, but she was so worth it.  
  
He began fidgeting with a loose string on his coat when he heard a rustle in   
the bushes behind the bench. He turned slowly, hearing a familiar scratching.   
  
"Would you quit it?" he heard a very familiar voice ask.   
  
"Miya?!," he all but yelled. Bronx crept from the bushes where he   
had started digging. "I told you to keep her at the castle! Why didn't   
you?," Nic demanded. Bronx whimpered apologetically, and tried to hide   
under his paws  
  
"Don't blame him," Avery said coming out with Miya. Nic groaned.  
"Look, whoever wanted you here, wanted both of you. Miya told me what  
was going on so I brought herI had to," she said.   
  
Miyabe's and Avery's appearance brought the other gargoyles from hiding. They   
all stared at Bronx, who seemed to cringe.  
  
"Don't blame him. Blame me," Miya said.   
  
Nic stood up and hugged Miya close. "Why?" he whispered again.   
  
Suddenly, a surge of heat burned Nic's leg. Being so close, Miya jumped back  
from it too. Nic looked to his pocket and reached in, pulling out the Gate Key. It   
burned his gloved hand, and he dropped it, swearing under his breath. "Fuck!!"  
  
Miya reached down and picked it up. It was cool to her touch. Everyone just   
stared without saying a word. Nic pulled out the Chronotrigger, and saw the dial   
moving on its own. It was going haywire, moving from all its points very quickly.   
It stopped on the right-most symbol, which Nic then realized what the symbol was.   
It was the symbol for infinity.   
  
Nic glanced at his watch. The face read five seconds 'til midnight, and then the   
hands began moving on their own, going as fast as they could. The wind picked up.  
Nic was eerily reminded of the boy playing in the hallway.   
  
A flash of light lit the air, causing the gargoyles to be on guard. The wind stopped,   
and so did the hands on Nic's watch. He tried to move the dial of the Chronotrigger   
to another position, but it would not turn.   
  
"What sort of magic is this?" Hudson asked, just to break the silence.   
  
Miya noticed something behind Hudson at that point. It was a small purplish-blue  
dot of... light? She moved closer, holding the gate key in front of her. The dot   
enlarged with every step.   
  
Nic and the rest had now taken notice. "What the...?" Lexington gasped.   
  
Miya looked to Nic. He grabbed her arm. She kept moving forward. He followed.   
  
Soon, all they could see was the light, and even though Miya tried to stop, some  
force was pulling her within. Nic was pulled along with her. They both fell into the   
light.   
  
Nic heard Hudson yell, "Nooo!" and saw the elder reach out for them before the  
light closed them off from the park. The light surrounded them, flying very quickly   
past them. They were falling now. Falling was not the best word, since Nic and   
Miya both felt they were on some sort of roller coaster, heading toward a   
predetermined point. Where that point is, Nic had no idea.   
  
Suddenly, they hit something hard. Nic heard Miya groan, and since the light   
was gone and he could see her, he instantly made sure she was all right. When   
he was satisfied, he looked around.   
  
"Well, lookie what the 'trigger dragged in," someone said.   
  
"Where are we?" Miya asked. She sat up slowly, her head throbbing. After a   
few moments the pain passed and she realized she is beside Nic and looked around.  
  
It was a street of some sort. Lamp posts lit the darkness, even though the street   
was not that long. Three people sat leaning against a water fountain in the middle   
of the street. At the end of the street, were five dots of light. Behind Nic and Miya  
was another dot of light. They were at the other end. Miya realized these dots must   
be gates.   
  
The strangest thing was this street was all that existed. The street ended   
abruptly in both directions, and no roads led off. All that existed besides the   
street was blackness. This bothered Miya to no measure. "Where are we?"   
Miya asked again.   
  
"Great. More people that don't know what they are doing," the same voice, a  
female one, said. Miya looked to the fountain.   
  
There was only one female. She had short black hair, cut off at her ears. Her   
face was white and the shape of her eyes made Miya think she was Japanese,   
but something about her that made Miya think otherwise. She held a weapon   
neither Miya or Nic had ever seen before. A giant Shuriken. And to top it all off,   
she looked like a teenager. She was smiling at them with a mischievous glint in   
her eyes.   
  
"Dear gods, Yuffie, will you behave?" one of the men said. The man stood up.  
He was pretty tall, maybe just a bit shorter than Nic. His blonde hair was the most  
unruly mat of hair Miya had ever seen in her life. A giant broadsword was sheathed   
on his back. His big blue eyes shocked Miya, letting her know the other was not   
fully human.   
  
The girl, Yuffie, glared at the man. "I want to go home," she spat out, folding   
her arms. "How will we get home if they don't know what they are doing?"   
  
"Who said they are here to help us? They may want to kill us. Look, the guy   
isn't even human," the man said. They both looked to Nic and Miyabe.   
  
(Ionic Butterfly: The tail's a dead givaway.)  
  
Nic stood and helped Miya up. He stood in front of her, and reached behind his   
back, closing his hand around his telescopic Bo.   
  
"There is no need for aggression on anyone's part," the third person said, standing  
up. He was dressed in complete black. A black cloak was pulled tightly around him.  
The hat he wore hid his eyes. "Welcome, Nicodemus, Miyabe," he said.   
  
Nic's grip tightened on his Bo. "Who are you?" he asked.   
  
The old man smiled. "Why, I am the guru of time. Gaspar, of course. Who else   
sent for you?" he asked.   
  
"Why did you bring us here?" Nic asked, angry at the cloaked figure.   
  
Gaspar shrugged. "That depends on which letter you received. Even then, I can't   
be sure. All that matters is that you are here."   
  
"Who are they?" Nic asked.   
  
"Well, this charming young lady is Yuffie Kisaragi. And this man is Cloud Strife.   
Yuffie, Cloud, meet Nicodemus Maza and Miyabe Tendo," Gasper said.   
  
For a time no one said anything. "Well, come on, let's be nice. No one's done  
anyone any harm, so let's say we get along and be nice," the guru said, a almost   
charming smile playing on his features.   
  
Cloud sighed and walked over to Nic. He held out his hand. Nic hesitated then   
took Cloud by the forearm. Nic wondered exactly what Cloud was. He was human,   
yet there was something foreign about that.   
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes then followed suit. "So have you actually got a 'trigger and   
a key?" she asked after shaking hands with both Nic and Miya.   
  
"You know what they are?" Nic asked.   
  
Cloud spoke before Yuffie could come back with a smart remark. "The set   
controls time through gates. They once belonged to sages who were wise and   
just... The sages were murdered and now the time sets belong to many different   
people. How did you acquire yours?"   
  
Nic pointed at Gaspar. "He sent it. Along with this map," he said pulling out the   
map and showing it to Cloud.   
  
Cloud smiled. "Home sweet home. The Old Man must have sent you here to take   
Yuffie and me home."   
  
"That must be it," the old man agreed.  
  
"What is this place?" Miya asked, still intrigued by the small existence.   
  
"This is the End of Time. When all worlds, realities, universes, whatever you want  
to call them, ends, it comes here. It just takes a while to get here," Gaspar said.   
  
"Infinity," Nic whispered.   
  
"Amazing concept, isn't it, boy?" Gaspar asked.   
  
"I am not a boy," Nic growled.   
  
"Compared to me, you are," Gaspar said nonchalantly.   
  
"So, like, are you going to take us home or not?" Yuffie asked.   
  
"If I knew how, I would," Nic said.   
  
Yuffie walked up to the old man and grabbed him by the collar. "Why did you send   
amateurs?"   
  
"Of all the worlds, they were the best suited. Trust me, little lady," he answered,   
as he gently pried Yuffie's hands off of his person.   
  
Cloud headed down the street, motioning for Nic and Miya to follow. He began   
explaining. "These are called time gates, or just gates. Gate keys, like the one   
Miyabe holds, can open them.   
  
Now, the one you two fell through, is a controlled gate. Using the trigger, you   
can pick the place you go. See how it was set to infinity? Well, that is the End of   
Time. So you came through and ended up here. Now these five gates here are   
determined gates. They only go to one place time whatever you want to call it. It   
is best not to screw around with them. You could end up messing up another world.   
This gate here," he said, pointing to a gate in the middle, "can be opened by   
holding the key in front of it. This one is the gate back to my world or time,   
however you want to look at it."   
  
"So how did you get here?" Miyabe asked.   
  
Cloud laughed a bit, looking to a fuming Yuffie. "Well, our world only had one set.   
She was guarding it one night. But there was a..um.. a distraction, shall we say.   
The set was stolen. She came to me for help, and when we tracked down the thief,   
he brought us here, and left us. So we are trapped in infinity until someone takes   
us home," he said.   
  
"So all we have to do is use this key to get you home?" Miyaasked. Cloud   
nodded.   
  
"Hold it, not true. There are four of us," Yuffie said.   
  
Cloud grimaced, and Gaspar chuckled back at the fountain. "Only three can   
pass through a gate at a time. So one of you would have to stay here and bring us   
through, then go back," Cloud said.   
  
"That's not going to happen. Miya will take you two through one at a time so I'll  
be with her," Nic said quickly, not fully trusting the strangers.   
  
Cloud nodded. "Alright. Is she your wife?"   
  
"In a sense, yes," Nic answered.   
  
"Then I understand completely," Cloud laughed. "Oh, how I miss my wife. And   
my daughter. And my newborn son," he said.   
  
"How long have you been here?" Miya asked.   
  
"Almost a year. Time passes strangely here. Maybe a week has passed in my   
world," Cloud said softly.   
  
"Well, let's get you home then," Miya said, taking Nic's arm.   
  
"Yuffie, you go first. And don't run off either. I'll need your help getting anywhere,"  
Cloud said.   
  
"Yes, father," Yuffie mocked, taking Miya's other arm.   
  
They slowly walked toward the gate, and were pulled through the same way as  
the other gate. They hit ground. Nic and Miya found themselves beneath a beautiful   
blue sky on a beach.   
  
Yuffie swore. "Hurry. Go back and get Cloud. It's dangerous here," she said,   
looking around warily.   
  
Miya and Nic did as they were told. The process was repeated, Cloud said a week   
might have passed. They emerged back in Cloud's world to find Yuffie surrounded   
by creatures resembling Gamera. There were two of them, but the danger was   
evident.   
  
Yuffie was fighting with her weapon, and Cloud instantly drew his sword, jumping   
into the fight. Nic stood back, guarding Miya. As Cloud and Yuffie focused on   
one of the beasts, the other turned its attention to Nic and Miya.   
  
"Cloud! What the hell is going on!?" Nic yelled, backing up.   
  
"Ever since our set was lost, these creatures have been raiding our lands! Just   
kill them!" Cloud yelled back.   
  
"Kill?" Miya said behind him.   
  
"Don't go PETA on me now, Miya." Nic said to her.   
  
Nic realized Miya had never seen any thing of this kind before, and realized she   
must really be scared. He took a deep breath and concentrated, then said the   
words, "Fulminos Venite!"   
  
Nic felt the familiar surge of power flow through his body, just before lightning   
shot from his hands, and hit both beasts in the face, stunning them. Cloud and   
Yuffie stared for a moment, and Nic had enough sense to cover Miya's eyes   
before they quit staring and put the finishing touches on the beasts.   
  
Nic felt Miya holding onto him, her face buried in his shoulder with fear. He felt   
tired from the spell, unintentionally putting more power into the spell. "It's okay,   
Miya," he whispered to her .   
  
"Whoa, man! What was that? That was pretty awesome," Yuffie cried   
out. "What kind of materia can do that?"   
  
"Materia?" Nic asked.   
  
"Yuf, I think that was _real_ magic," Cloud said. Yuffie's eyes at the implications if  
the statement is true.   
  
"Come on, let's get out of here before their friends and family show up," Cloud said.   
  
Somehow, instinctively, Nic knew Miya was pretty scared. She could fight fairly well,  
but her weapons of choice, the Yumi, were at her apartment. Kenpo may get her killed  
in this world. Then again Cloud and Yuffie used hand weapons against those Gamera  
things  
  
"We did what we were suppose too. We're heading back."   
  
"Nic, I am so sorry...," Miya said.   
  
"For what?"   
  
"I dropped it. I don't know where it is... I looked but it is not here...," Miya said.   
  
"You dropped the key?" everyone asked in unison. Miya winced.  
  
"No matter." Cloud said. "We can find another one."   
  
"But you said only one was here and it was stolen," Nic said.   
  
"Well, since the gate is open, so many fly through here. We can find one," he said.   
  
"Okay, well whatever we are going to do, we need to do right now," Yuffie said,   
seeing humps out in the ocean moving in their direction.   
  
"Follow me," Cloud said, taking off in a slow run. Everyone followed.   
  
"I'm sorry," Miya muttered.   
  
"Don't worry. We'll find a way back. It'll be okay," Nic said just to comfort her,  
not believing his own words.  
  
End Part One  



	2. Lessons Learned

DIMENSIONS  
by  
The Ionic Butterfly(aurelia_@yahoo.com)   
Ranwolf(ranwolf@hotmail.com)  
  
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters   
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square and Squaresoft.   
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,   
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed   
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)  
  
CHAPTER 2: LESSONS LEARNED  
  
"Welcome to Midgar. Home sweet home," Cloud said to everyone. His pace  
seemed to quicken trying to find his family. He led them to a bar called, "7th Heaven."  
Loud music, sounding almost like techno, poured out onto the street.  
  
Nic looked around, feeling quite tired now. He looked to Miya. She looked sad.  
He smiled at her. She tried in earnest to smile back.   
  
"Well? You going to stand out here all night?" Yuffie asked.   
  
Cloud grinned and walked inside. He wondered how long he had been gone. Yuffie,  
Miya, and Nic followed him. People of all ages sat at the tables, talking loudly and  
laughing, a few people were dancing.   
  
A big burly black man approached Cloud. "And where have you been?," he asked,  
"We've been busy all day and you just disappear on us."   
  
"A day? Is that all?" Cloud laughed. "Nice to see you, too, Barret."  
  
"Daddy! Daddy!" a little girl squealed and ran towards Cloud. She jumped and he  
easily caught her, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek.  
  
"Aeris. How are you?" Cloud asked. Nic saw tears in the man's eyes. Then he  
remembered while only a day may have passed for the people in the bar, Cloud had  
not seen them for a whole year. Nic did not want to think about what a shock it might  
be for him. "Where's your mother?"   
  
"She's in the back with...," Barret started, but then saw Cloud's wife. emerging from  
the back with a baby in her arms.  
  
(Ranwolf: *Drools* Tifa...  
Ionic Butterfly: *Whacks Ranwolf upside the head* Quit that! You're drooling on my  
keyboard.)  
  
Nic and Miya could do nothing but watch the scene. Cloud put Aeris down, and  
walked quickly to the woman and baby. The woman thrust the screaming baby at  
Cloud, and he took him. "Where have you been, Cloud?," she yelled, "We've been  
busy and you leave me and Barret here to run this place and look after the kids..."  
  
Cloud gently bounced the baby in his arms, sticking his forefinger in the child's  
mouth to hush him. He looked up at his wife. "I've been stuck in infinity for a year,  
Tifa. A year," he said.  
  
"You've been gone a day," Tifa said coldly.   
  
"A year," he said softly. "Can I please have a kiss before you chew me out any  
further?" he asked. Tifa looked at him for a moment before giving him a long kiss  
The baby between them had fallen asleep.   
  
Nic looked at Miya. She still seemed upset about something. Probably the fact that  
she had lost the key. He reached into his pocket to touch the Chronotrigger. To his  
surprise, there was nothing. His eyes went wide as he began feeling into other  
pockets, but he could not find anything. "Miya, the 'trigger is gone," he said.  
  
She stared for a minute, then began laughing. "Now I'm not the only one to blame,"  
she said. Nic had to grin at her. Cloud said that there were plenty to be found. They  
could find another set, and they'd return to their world.  
  
The little girl, Aeris, had jumped into Yuffie's arms. It seemed strange to Nic, that  
Yuffie was actually showing a genuine smile while hugging and talking to the girl. It  
seemed out of character.   
  
"Have you been practicing what I showed you?" Yuffie asked. Aeris nodded, and  
jumped down from Yuffie's arms. Yuffie bent down, putting up her hands and letting  
the girl punch and kick at them.   
  
"You have been practicing! I am so proud of you," Yuffie said.  
  
(Ranwolf: O_O Yuffie? Being nice to someone?)  
  
"Nicodemus, Miyabe, I'd like you to meet some people," Cloud said. "This is my  
wife, Tifa. The little ninja over there is my daughter, Aeris. This is my son, Tomas.  
Barret here is one of my best friends, and co-owns this bar with us."   
  
"Please, just Nic is fine," Nic said, shaking hands and making the necessary  
comments about how cute the children were. Miya did the same.   
  
"Nic and Miya were kind enough to help us home. But it seems as if their key is  
missing...," Cloud started.   
  
"The 'trigger is gone too," Nic added.   
  
Cloud stared for a moment, then shrugged. "Their set is missing, and since they  
helped us, we need to help them," he said.   
  
"Where are you going to find a set?" Barret asked.   
  
"Well, I heard Dio has a set," Tifa said, "But it's just rumor. We can see him and  
see if he does have it or not. I think we can talk him into letting Nic and Miya borrow it."   
  
"Well, not tonight. It's too late and it's too busy for us to leave," Cloud said. Cloud  
was smiling at his son, whose eyes were open and staring silently. "I want to stay  
home for one night unless you and Miyabe are in an extreme hurry," Cloud said.   
  
Nic looked to Miya. "Are you in a hurry?" he asked.   
  
"I have to work tomorrow," she said.   
  
"The time difference is going to mess that up anyway," he answered.   
  
Miya sighed. "Then I guess not."   
  
"Good. Then you two can stay here tonight," Cloud said.   
  
Tifa cleared her throat and folded her arms. "And where are they going to sleep?"   
  
Cloud thought for a moment. "Aeris can sleep with us tonight. They can take her  
room," he said.   
  
Tifa sighed. "Okay. Are you two hungry?" she asked.   
  
Nic and Miya both shook their heads. "Something to drink would be nice," Miyabe  
said.   
  
"I'll get it," Cloud said, trying to hand Tomas to Tifa. She held her hands up.   
  
"I've been holding him all day," she said, turning around.   
  
"I'll take him," Miyabe offered. Nic stared at her for a moment, but Cloud had no  
qualms about handing his son to her. Miya cradled the baby smiling, and found a seat  
in the corner. Nic watched her and wondered how he'd feel if it were his child she  
cradled. He smiled at the thought.   
  
"So, Nic, how are.... Oh my gods...," Tifa said shocked, staring at him.   
  
"What?" Nic asked, looking around for something startling.   
  
"You aren't... You aren't human," she said.   
  
"No, I'm not. Not completely anyway, I'm a hybrid," he admitted. "My mother is  
human, my father is what's known as a gargoyle."   
  
"You must come from a really weird world," Barret commented before returning  
behind the bar.   
  
(Ranwolf: He's one to talk.)  
  
Nic smiled. "You don't know the half of it."   
  
*****  
  
Nic and Miya sat at a table with Yuffie, Aeris, Barret, and Tomas. Miya still held  
Tomas, reluctant to let him go. The bar was closed now. Cloud had taken Tifa  
downstairs to "make up for a little lost time before the kids go to bed."   
  
Nic was telling his story to Yuffie and Barret. "Then I woke up in a hospital, and  
here is this beautiful woman leaning over me...," he said smiling at Miya.   
  
Miya looked up and smiled back. "I was the lucky one," she commented.   
  
"No, that was definitely me," Nic said.   
  
"No, I mean I was lucky because you pulled through. We weren't sure what you  
were, but we did know that you had a broken collar bone, busted ribs, fractured hip,  
and second and third degree burns. Sure, you were healing fast, but we didn't know  
exactly... I'm just lucky you made it. I think my job was on the line," Miya said.  
  
Nic felt his face flush. After a moment, he looked to Barret. "What's your story?"   
  
"Well, only thing 'bout me that's anythin' special to tell, is I got my arm blown off  
during a rebellion seven years ago. I had a gun grafted into my arm. But after the  
wars stopped, my daughter begged me to get a implant." He stretched his hand out  
before him. Nic could see how the latex skin stretched and moved around the  
endo-skeleton as Barret flexed his hand. "So, being she was the only thing I had  
goin' for me at the time, I had to listen to her. But now with all the monsters showin'  
up again, I wonder if that was such a good idea."  
  
Nic nodded. Tomas stirred in Miya's arms. "How about you, Yuffie?"  
  
Yuffie looked up from where she was playing a game of cards with Aeris. "Oh, no.  
Not me. My life is my own. You can stay out of it, thank you very much. Now I  
appreciate you getting me out of The End of Time, let me know how I can repay you.  
But until then, you know, hey," she shrugged.   
  
Barret laughed and Nic grinned. "Well I can tell ya. She's a Konoichi(female ninja).  
Trained all her life to be that way too. She likes collectin' materia, which leads her to  
steal sometimes. But most of all, she likes making out wit' that little man of hers  
when she's supposed to be guardin' the pagoda where this world's set was kept..."  
Barret was about to go into some of the girl's personal history when Yuffie threw down  
her cards and walloped Barret on the back of his head. The strike didn't seem to do any  
damage to the large man. But the way she popped him, it would leave a mark.   
  
"It wasn't my fault!" she said defensively, turning back to her game.  
  
Nic looked back to Miya. She was oblivious to the whole conversation. She was  
focused on the child who lay smiling at her. She was smiling back, speaking  
gibberish. "Da-da!" Tomas said brightly. Miya felt Nic's eyes on her and she looked up.   
He smiled and then turned back to the conversation. Yuffie and Barret argued over  
whose fault it was for the missing set.   
  
"Will you two shut up?! The set is gone, so leave it at that," Cloud said, walking  
into the room. He sat down beside Miya and Aeris. He was grinning as Aeris put  
down her cards to crawl into her father's lap. He kissed her forehead.   
  
Nic realized that for some odd reason, he was envious of Cloud. He thought for a  
moment but could not put a finger on exactly what it was.   
  
"I called Dio. He said that we have to visit him. So that means he's going to test  
you, Nic," Cloud said.   
  
"Daddy, are you going to the Saucer? Can I go, please? Can I, can I?" Aeris begged.   
  
"Hush darlin', daddy's talking. We don't interrupt, now do we?" he asked. Aeris  
pouted and shook her head.   
  
"That's my girl." He said. He then turned back to Nic. "Nic, he chooses which test  
to put you through based on what he thinks of you. With your build, you are going  
straight to the Arena," Cloud said.   
  
"The Arena?" Nic asked.   
  
"Don't worry. With whatever it was you used on those Adamantaimai earlier, you  
won't have any problems. It's just a few fights. You've fought before, right?" Cloud  
asked.   
  
"Yes...I have," Nic answered. Miya looked up and starting paying attention at the  
mention of Nic fighting.   
  
"Piece of cake then. It's just eight straight battles. You just kill your opponents  
and you'll be out of there," Yuffie said.   
  
"I can't do that," Nic said.   
  
"Can't do what?" Cloud asked.   
  
"I can't kill eight men that have done nothing to me," Nic said.   
  
"Oh gods, a pacifist...," Yuffie muttered.   
  
"They're computer controlled holograms. Almost like a robot. You won't actually  
kill anyone. In fact, you can have them turn off the bloodshed settings if you want,"  
Cloud said, grinning.   
  
Yuffie was still going on about peaceable persons. Cloud turned on her. "Yuffie!  
Shut up! I am sick of your complaining! Isn't there anything in this world you like?  
Geez." he said.  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Like I had fun spending a year with you too. All you could  
whine about was your family," she said.  
  
Barret stepped in. "Now you had best watch it. You're in dangerous territory," he  
said. Yuffie glared at him, but stayed shut.   
  
"I fought at the Arena!" Aeris chirped. "I won too! It was hard, but I won! Yuffie  
taught me to fight and took me! I have a trophy that Mr. Dio gave me too!"   
  
Nic gave Cloud a curious look.  
  
"Of course, she wasn't fighting anything really dangerous. Just a few Grashtrikes  
and a Firstray or two." Cloud quickly cleared up.   
  
"And a bunny rabbit. I had to fight a bunny rabbit," Aeris added.   
  
"Why do I get the feeling, I'm not going to get off that easily?"  
  
"I'll loan you a bunch of materia and armor, you won't have to worry about  
anything," Cloud said.   
  
"What's materia?" Miya asked.   
  
"Are you kidding me?" Yuffie said. Barret gave her a stern stare. "Sorry," she said  
meekly, settling back down.   
  
Cloud smiled. "Was that real magic you used?" he asked. Nic nodded. "A long  
time ago, power from the planet was somehow trapped and turned into materia. It  
gives people the power to use magic."   
  
Nic nodded. He had heard of similar things before, The Eye of Odin, The Phoenix  
Gate and The Grinorum Arcanorum. He had never encountered any of those items or  
anything like them. Barret pulled out a small handgun, pointed it away from the others.  
There were a few small grooves in the handle with tiny colored balls had placed inside.  
Barret plucked a green one out and handed it to Nic.   
  
Nic felt a rush go through his body the moment it was placed in his hand. He was  
somehow filled with the knowledge of pyromancy. "Fire materia," he said.   
  
Barret nodded as Nic handed it back to him. He placed the ball back into handle  
and the gun back in it's holster.   
  
"I called Cid too," Cloud said. "He's bringing the Highwind to take us to Corel so  
we can go to the Saucer. Shera is gonna run the bar for us while we're gone. She  
shouldn't have a problem with the bargirls help." Aeris cheered and hugged her father.  
  
"It's about bedtime for you, don't you think?" Cloud asked his daughter.   
  
Aeris pouted. "Will you tuck me in?" she asked. Nic watched Cloud swallow hard.  
He nodded smiling.   
  
(Ranwolf: *Looks at Ionic* Will you tuck me in, too?  
Ionic Butterfly: *Laughs* You wish.)  
  
"Let me get your brother to bed and I will, okay?" he said. Aeris jumped off his lap.  
He looked at Miya. "Ready to give him up?"   
  
Miya smiled. "He's so precious," she said.   
  
"Thank you," he said, taking Tomas from her.   
  
Tomas let out a string of, "Da-DA!"'s. Cloud picked Aeris up with his other arm.  
"Barret, can you show them Aeris's room?" Cloud asked. Barret nodded. "G'night all,"  
Cloud said.   
  
Nic and Miya were shown their room. They stared at the tiny bed. Nic just laughed.  
It was a child's bed, there was no way Nic could fit in it. He pulled a blanket off the  
bed and laid it on the floor.   
  
"Take the bed," he said to Miya.  
  
"Who says chivalry is dead?" Miya smiled. She kissed him and got in the bed. She  
had to curl her legs just a bit, but she would be okay.   
  
Nic took off his coat, turned off the light, and laid on the floor. He laid for a short  
time thinking of the day's events. He then heard Miyabe rise from the small bed, pad  
over to him and then lay on the blanket next to him, using his chest as a pillow. With  
time the two of the fell asleep.  
  
*****  
  
"Rise and shine! Time to get up, sleepyhead!" a child's voice rang out in the room.  
Nic sat up and looked around. Miya stood over him staring with a smile. Aeris was  
holding her hand.   
  
"Time to get up, Anata," she said. Nic yawned loudly. Aeris' eyes widened.  
  
"You have sharp teeth!" she said. Nic saw that the child was amused. He waved  
his tail at her and watched her eyes light up. He grinned and stood up.  
  
"What are you?" the child marveled. Miya let out a laugh.   
  
"Beats me, kid," Nic said.   
  
Miya kissed Nic good morning and then complained about his breath. She led him  
to the bathroom and waited for him to finish freshening up. "Hurry up! Daddy is taking  
me to the Saucer!" Aeris said.   
  
Nic was soon finished and Aeris led them to the breakfast table. Everyone was  
already eating. "'Bout time you got up, Nic," Yuffie said smartly.  
  
"And a good morning to you too," he said. He was glad to recognize they had  
toast and eggs. The bluish tint to the eggs made him wonder what animal the eggs  
were from, but decided not to ask and eat anyway.   
  
When the meal was almost finished, Nic noticed that Cloud was missing.   
"Where's Cloud?" he asked.   
  
Tifa sighed. "Down at the church, praying for a dead friend," she said. Nic started  
to press but Barret held up his hand and shook his head slightly. Soon enough,  
Cloud walked in.   
  
A loud rumbling began to fill the room and Aeris jumped with joy and ran out of   
the room to the bar level despite her father's protests. "That's Cid and the Highwind,"  
Barret said as Cloud chased his daughter.  
  
"Aeris! Get back here!," Cloud was heard.  
  
"Aww Daddy!," came Aeris' replied.  
  
Nic wondered what the Highwind was. He went outside, and Miya followed. A   
large aircraft that looked to be a cross between a blimp and a military cargo plane   
answered his question.   
  
The outworld couple was introduced to Cid and Shera Highwind, and soon they   
were on the airship along with Cloud, Tifa, and the others. Shera stayed behind to  
watch over the 7th Heaven.   
  
While the others had flown before, Nic and Miya found it much more interesting to  
stay up top to feel the wind blow through their hair while the others went below.  
Yuffie had disappeared as soon as the Highwind took off.  
  
"The squirt probably went to the head to worship the ivory shrine," said Cid, laughing  
gruffly as he headed to the bridge.  
  
"Are you worried?" Miya asked as she traced her fingers against his arms, which  
were around her waist.   
  
"Not really. What should I be worried about?" he asked.   
  
"I don't know. I'm just afraid we won't be able to get back," Miyabe said. "I mean,  
I know how you felt now when you first arrived in my world."   
  
"But I knew there was no way I could go back," he said, touching her hair, trying  
to put a loose strand behind her ear. "I have a clan again and I have you. There's no  
way I would want to go back."   
  
Miyabe smiled at him. "Charmer."  
  
*****  
  
About an hour later, they landed near Corel. There was a tram to take them to the  
Gold Saucer. They took it, and soon they were there. Dio met them at the landing pad.   
  
Dio was a big man. He was about the same size as Goliath, but not as tall. Nic was  
in shape, but he had nothing on this guy.   
  
"Cloud! My champion! How are you this morning?" Dio asked, walking over and  
hugging Cloud. Nic heard Cloud give a small "Um" as he was buried in the larger  
man's arms.  
  
After Dio had said his hellos to everyone he knew, he looked to Nic and Miyabe.  
"So you're after a time set, huh? Well, I have one, but I'm not going to just give it to  
you. You two are gonna have to earn it. It's just the way I work," Dio said after they  
had been formally introduced.   
  
"What do you want me to do?" Nic asked.   
  
Dio laughed. "I said you both have to prove yourselves. Simple as that," he said.   
  
"Miyabe isn't fighting," Nic said quickly giving Dio a warning glare.   
  
"No, no," Dio answered, "The little lady is too pretty to fight. Fought over maybe,  
but no. She won't fight. A chocobo race will work for her. She can ride one of Cloud's  
champs, but she has to beat Teioh," Dio said.   
  
Tifa smiled. "You can ride my chocobo. Her name is Atmas, and she's a gold  
chocobo. That means you can win against Teioh's old black one any day," she told  
Miya. Miya smiled in response.   
  
"Good. If the lady wins, she gets a pendant. And as for you, boy," Nic growled  
softly. "you'll be in the Battle Arena. And you'll fight Master Tonberry. Win and you  
get the Chronotrigger," Dio said.   
  
"WHAT?! You've got to be kidding me!" Cloud yelled. "Master Tonberry!? Come on,  
give him a break!"   
  
"He fights tonight, so if you want to teach him the ropes, you better get started.  
The battle is at six sharp. The race for the lady will be tomorrow at two. Reservations  
for the lot of you will be in Cloud's name at The Ghost Hotel, if you want to stay," Dio  
said.   
  
"Master Tonberry? Dio come on, that is so unfair," Yuffie said.   
  
"You guys aren't helping," Nic muttered. He wondered what a Tonberry was.  
  
"Look, people. Money and entertainment rules my world. All I know, these two  
little guys, Masa and Mune, gave me my set and gave me those explicit directions,"  
Dio said. "They gave me plenty of money to make me abide by their rules." He turned  
and left.   
  
"What is so bad about this Master Tonberry?" Nic asked. He wondered what Masa  
and Mune were up to, but for some reason he wasn't surprised to find out they had  
been there.   
  
Cloud chuckled nervously. "Don't worry. We've got to get you used to the Arena  
real quick, like fast, in a hurry."   
  
"I'm taking the Aeris and Miya to the stables to start practicing, okay?" Tifa said.   
  
"I want to go with Nic," Miya said.   
  
"Trust me, he won't want you watching his first fight. You need all the time you  
can get to learn to ride a chocobo," Tifa said.   
  
  
"Now here's the deal." Yuffie began explaining the rules of the Arena. "You have to  
go through eight fights back to back. Between each fight, you pull on a little slot  
machine that shows up. The results of the pull can be good or bad. You can get your  
strength cut in half, or you can get it doubled."  
  
"Wait a minute, this Arena can do that?" Nic asked.   
  
"Yeah. It'll have total control over you, but it won't cheat you. But if you lose, you'll  
think it did," Cloud said.   
  
"Gimme the materia. I wanna go in and show Nic what it's all about," Yuffie said.  
Cloud handed over his best materia, and she grinned.  
  
"I want those back, Yuffie," Cloud said with a edge. Yuffie gave him a raspberry.  
She paid the Arena's entrance fee. She walked through the two iron doors at the top of  
the stairs. They slammed shut behind her.   
  
(Ranwolf: He's never gonna see 'em again.)  
  
Cloud pointed to a giant monitor that showed Yuffie on a round platform surrounded  
by a ring of fire. "Watch this," he said.   
  
Nic obeyed. Writing across the bottom of the screen told everyone watching that  
Yuffie Kisaragi was fighting a Gighee, a ugly horse-like creature. Yuffie grinned into  
the camera and turned around, bringing up her four-point shuriken in the ready. Nic  
watched in silence as she handled the weapon with ease, swiping at Gighee's legs  
crippling the creature. Nic felt a twinge at the sight of all the blood when Yuffie  
jammed one of the points into the creature's neck. It let out a horrid death cry before  
it disappeared. "One down!" Yuffie yelled gleefully.  
  
"It's a hologram, see? But it'll attack too, Yuffie is just about to do an old fighting  
trick that you should practice," Cloud said.   
  
Nic watched as Yuffie pulled out two pieces of materia. "The first she'll use is  
called Regen. If she takes any damage, the materia will block out the pain and begin  
to heal her. But Regen lasts for a short time, then it has to be recast again. And if  
you get hit repeatedly, The Regen is used up that much more quickly." Cloud narrated.   
  
Yuffie invoked the spell, and a green glow grew (say that 5 times fast!) around her.  
That was all Nic could see. "Can you die in there?" he asked. Yuffie was at the ready  
again, waiting for her next opponent.  
  
"Well, they keep a close watch on your vital signs. So once you hit what they call  
the red zone, everything shuts down. You're placed in the Enertron, which will heal all  
your injuries. I don't understand how it works, but it does," Cloud said.  
  
On screen, another green cloud formed around Yuffie, quickly being absorbed into  
her skin. "Now she's using Haste on herself," Barret said. "It increases her speed,  
allowing her to inflict more damage before her opponent could counterattack,"   
  
A man appeared before her with a box. She pulled the lever, and the screen  
showed that her materia was broken. She cursed.   
  
"Now she can't use her materia. But the Regen and Haste spells are still in use,"  
Cloud said.   
  
Nic watched as an Allemande appeared before her. She just kept attacking, and  
even though it hit her a few times, she didn't seem fazed. She just kept fighting, and  
soon the creature disappeared.   
  
The second pull sealed her items. She could no longer use any of the grenades or  
healing potions she had brought. She still finished the next fight easily.   
  
/* "Kung-Fu Fighting" Carl Douglas *\  
  
Nic watched until her sixth pull, the slot broke her weapon. Her four-point shuriken  
shattered into thousands of pieces and for the first time, Yuffie seemed fazed. A Black  
Behemoth appeared before her. She smiled broadly, knowing the creature's weakness,  
and instantly began one of the most energetic attack pattern Nic had ever seen. Yuffie  
was enjoying herself. The Behemoth slumped onto the floor, then disappeared.  
  
Yuffie looked exhausted, but kept on. The seventh battle was another easy battle  
for her, but the eighth caught Nic's attention. Master Tonberry.   
  
"That's not really him. You'll be fighting eight battles against the real one,"   
  
"I thought you said I'd be fighting a hologram?," Nic asked.  
  
"You are. See that symbol next to Tonberry's name?"  
  
"Yeah...," Nic answered slowly.  
  
"That shows it's not the full powered Tonberry. It's a weaker program made for one  
round combat."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"See, the thing 'bout the little bugger is, he's telepathic to an extent," Barret said.  
"Little bugger can get into your head and see what you fear the most, then appear to  
you in that form."  
  
Nic kept his eyes silently on the screen, becoming apprehensive about fighting now.  
A little turtle walking on his hind legs appeared holding a lantern. It held the lantern up  
to Yuffie, then backed away, shifting. Nic was amazed to see what he morphed into.  
Master Tonberry had become Nicodemus Maza, telescopic Bo and all.  
  
She's scared of me?, Nic thought.  
  
"You are so full of it," Yuffie huffed, kicking Nic-Tonberry square in the jaw. Tonberry  
staggered but kept balance, slowly he turned back to her, eyes changing to a deep  
blood-red color.   
  
"Pathetic," He sneered.  
  
Nic watched in amazement as Tonberry copied his fighting style perfectly.   
Nic-Tonberry stood up against Yuffie better than any of the other creatures. Pounding  
on the young ninja with it's staff, or landing glancing blows with it's tail. Fortunately  
for Yuffie, Nic-Tonberry didn't seem capable of magic.  
  
Tonberry charged her, Bo held ready to impale Yuffie through the gut. She   
sidestepped out of the way. Tonberry left himself open long enough for the young   
Konoichi to grab onto his head, breaking his neck. Nic winced internally seeing his  
double get it's head turned 180 degrees.  
  
Yuffie stumbled out of the Arena. Cloud went to Yuffie helping her to the Enertron.  
Nic was amazed when Yuffie stepped out as if she had not even breathing hard. The  
Arena Master came up to her and gave Yuffie her shuriken (somehow back in one   
piece) and a card that allowed her to claim a prize when she left.  
  
"Piece of cake," she said to Nic eyeing him for a reaction. He smiled wryly at her.  
That was certainly one of the most interesting displays the Demigoyle had ever seen.  
  
*****   
  
Miyabe hit the ground hard... again. "Wark!" Atmas screeched over her. Miya   
looked at the oversized ostrich bird thing with a mean glare. It was the fourth time   
she had fallen off. Aeris was laughing and Tifa was trying to get her to stop.   
  
"I can't do this," Miya said.   
  
"Don't give up so easily. All you have to do is stay on, Atmas will win for you,"  
Tifa said from atop a black chocobo.   
  
Miya stood up and brushed off the wood chips from her jeans. She took hold of   
Atmas' reigns again, and climbed back up. She barely kept the chocobo steady as  
she got settled.   
  
"Momma, let's glue her in," Aeris suggested from her tiny blue chocobo. Tomas  
was with one of Tifa's friends that worked at the Saucer.   
  
"We can't do that, sugar," Tifa laughed. Miya laugh a little as well.   
  
"I'm beginning to think we should try that," Miya said. She wobbled as Atmas took  
a step forward. She grabbed hold of the saddle nearly falling off again.   
  
"Okay, just get her to go forward slowly," Tifa said.   
  
Miyabe obeyed, the chocobo didn't. She fell off and landed on her arm hard this  
time. "Itai!!" Pain shot through her arm, as she pressed the elbow into her side.  
  
Tifa was at her side gingerly checking the arm, the elbow was dislocated. "Hold  
still. I have something for that." Pulled out a green ball from her skirt. A green glow  
between Tifa's hands took the pain away, forcing the elbow back in place, mending  
the cartilage and ligaments.  
  
"Get back on, Miya. Keep trying," Tifa encouraged.   
  
Miyabe felt as if she'd never get it right. And Aeris's laughter wasn't helping.  
  
*****  
  
The Arena Master would not let Nic in the Arena on Dio's orders. "What kind of  
shit is that?," Cloud yelled at the man. "How is he suppose to practice?"  
  
"I'm sorry Mr.Strife," replied the Arena Master spreading his hands. "I'm under  
orders. I don't make the rules, just enforce 'em." Nic and Barret left, dragging Cloud  
with them before he did something he would regret. Yuffie stayed behind, trying to  
decide between a Bahamut materia, a pinwheel weapon, or a lifetime supply of  
butterscotch ice cream.  
  
(Ionic Butterfly: Why butterscotch?  
Ranwolf: Why not butterscotch?)  
  
Nic's fight would be at 6:00. Barret, Yuffie, and Cloud had given Nic a lot of materia,  
which made him feel his magic was weaker than it really was. It was all they could do.   
  
When Miya showed up with Tifa and the children in tow, Nic did not like what he  
saw. Her hair was all disheveled. Wood chips covered her clothes, and bruises could  
be seen on her arm. "Are you alright?," he asked hugging her.  
  
Miya shook her head against his shoulder. "All I have to do is stay on that damn  
thing's back but I can't," she whispered back.   
  
He kissed the top of her head, not sure what to say to her.  
  
Dio showed up with a crowd of people. "So, Mr. Maza, are you ready to fight?" he  
asked.   
  
Nic let go of Miya and pulled his Bo back out. "As ready as I'll ever be," he answered.  
He wondered what Master Tonberry would see in him.  
  
END PART 2  



	3. The Rage that Binds Us

DIMENSIONS  
by  
The Ionic Butterfly (aurelia_@yahoo.com)   
Ranwolf (ranwolf@hotmail.com)  
  
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters   
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square.  
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,   
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed   
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)  
  
CHAPTER 3: THE RAGE THAT BINDS US  
  
/* "One" Metallica *\  
  
The iron doors slammed shut behind a wary Nic Maza. The fire ring opened for him  
to step inside. As it shut, he realized the flames were holograms because there was  
no heat. He turned around to see the camera, but only saw a stone gargoyle statue  
staring at him. It reminded him of Lexington, and he suddenly missed the world he  
had come to know. He had to win this battle if he wanted to get back to it.   
  
He stared at the floor and saw the words, 'THE BRAVE DO NOT FEAR THE GRAVE'  
written. Very comforting, he thought. He realized he was not afraid. If he did fail here,  
Cloud would help him find another set. He took a deep, calming breath as the tiny  
creature known as Master Tonberry appeared before him.   
  
Tonberry crept forward in an eerie way. Nic realized he was wasting time by staring  
at him. He remembered to use the Regen spell. Tonberry crept forward, holding  
up the lantern. Nic used the Haste spell, and suddenly he was thinking faster and  
moving with great ease.   
  
Swallowing hard and reminding himself it was only an illusion, he lashed out at  
Tonberry with his Bo. It hit the creature's shell, bouncing harmlessly off. It began to  
morph.   
  
A black behemoth appeared before him with what could pass for a grin on its face.  
Cloud had said that Tonberry would let him get used to it before really fighting, so Nic  
quickly attacked Behemoth-Tonberry in the same manner that he had seen Yuffie attack.   
  
Behemoth-Tonberry raised a claw and struck Nic in the shoulder. Nic yelled out,  
the pain immense. But soon it vanished. Regen, he thought. He grinned as he   
attacked the beast, bludgeoning it with his staff. Nic spun around, building momentum  
striking Behemoth across the face, stunning it for a moment. Nic reared back and drove  
the Bo deep into the creature belly. It let out a harsh, pained filled cry as Nic pulled  
on his staff, lifting the creature off its feet. Holographic blood coated the staff and Nic's  
hands. His face twisted in disgust, wishing he had the blood turned off, or at least toned  
down. He released the Behemoth; it disappeared as soon as it touched the ground.  
  
The Arena Master entered with a small slot machine in his hand. Nic pulled. Lucky  
Seven, it read. Cloud had said that meant nothing lost, nothing gained. He sighed of  
relief.   
  
Master Tonberry reappeared, inching closer and closer. Nic found that no matter  
how hard he hit the little thing, Tonberry would shrug it off. Everything was in vain until  
it morphed. Tonberry lifted the lantern and backed away, turning into a rabbit.   
  
This "battle" did not last long; a Tiger Woods impression did the trick. Nic thought it  
was all a big joke as he pulled the Lucky Seven again. Tonberry once again morphed  
into something simple and harmless. Nic was getting annoyed. Surely it would not be  
this easy.   
  
Then his materia was broken, he realized it was about to get interesting. Tonberry  
appeared as Cloud. "Nic, you've done good! Too bad you have to die right now.  
Miya sure is going to miss you," he laughed.   
  
Nic said nothing. He kept reminding himself it was only an illusion. "Are you sure  
about that?" Cloud-Tonberry said.   
  
Nic attacked the fake Cloud with his Bo. Cloud-Tonberry grinned evilly as it blocked  
and perried the attacks easily with the large broadsword. Nic was getting angry and  
that scared him. Bo and Sword clashed, the sound of metal against metal echoed in  
the Arena. Cloud-Tonberry kneed Nic between the legs. He let out a grunt of pain as  
he backed away. Cloud raised his sword and leaped at him, his Bustersword arcing   
it's way towards him. Nic dove out of the way, the ache in his privates slowly fading.  
  
Tonberry pulled its sword out of the stone floor. "And you call yourself a warrior?",  
Tonberry mocked. "You're nothing but a target." Cloud-Tonberry charged Nic once more.  
  
Weapons clashed once again, neither making a critical wound as the two battered  
each other with fists and weapons. Tonberry went for another over-head slash, Nic   
brought up his Bo blocking it. He could feel the shapeshifter put all it's weight behind  
the crossed weapons trying to get the razor edge of the sword to break through the   
metallic staff. Tonberry's dark blue eyes widened when Nic slammed the end of his tail  
between it's own legs. Nic forced Cloud-Tonberry's sword down and delivered a vicious  
head-butt, Nic's small horn spurs lacerating Tonberry's brow, blood falling into the  
metamorph's eyes. Tonberry fell back, wiping at its eyes, giving Nic the time he  
needed to take one of the grenades Yuffie gave him and launched it at his opponent,  
exploding on contact.  
  
Cloud vanished and the Arena Master offered another pull. Nic got a frog. Normally it  
meant Nic would be turned into one temporally, but since Cloud had given him a anti-frog ring,  
nothing happen.   
  
Nic was getting nervous as Tonberry crept forward again, holding the lantern that  
shone a sickening yellow light. Demona appeared before him in all her demonic  
beauty. "It's only an illusion," Nic said to himself again.   
  
"No little one, it's not." Demona said. She ran toward him so fast he barely raised his  
Bo in time to block the attack. He countered with a strike to Demona's head, knocking  
her down. The Metamorph used its new tail to take hold of Nic's leg pulling it out from  
under him. He lost his grip on his staff, it was sent flying across the stone floor,  
collapsing itself after a few moments. Demona quickly jumped on his chest and began  
pummeling him with lefts and rights, breaking his nose and blackening his right eye.  
Angered, he roared at her, doing his best to buck the blue gargress off of him. He stuck  
her in the ribs hard enough to turn bricks to powder.  
  
Nic pushed Demona off rolling on top of her, continuing to pulverizing her sides.   
Demona raked her talons across Nic's shoulder, ripping open the cloth and skin  
underneath. He smashed a fist into the face that looked so much like Angela's,  
shattering the nose. He latched his hands around her throat, squeezing and twisting,  
feeling the bones moving in ways they were never meant to. Demona-Tonberry tried to  
push him off, her hands struggling to rip at his face, her legs trying to get between them  
and tear open his belly with the Talons of her feet. With a wet Crack!! the struggling  
ceased, the hand at his face fell limp and Demona vanished.  
  
The fight was getting to Nic. It was all a little too weird. Three more, he thought as  
he pulled the slot. Accessory broken. His frog ring now had no effect. He coughed a  
little and spat out some blood. He saw the Tonberry out of the corner of his eye and  
ignored it while he retrieved his Bo, knowing he had the time before it morphed into whoever.  
  
Goliath stood before him, arms open wide. Not the Goliath of the world he now  
called home, but his actual father, as he remembered seeing him, tall, broad of chest,  
regal in every definition of the word. His hair still coal black marred only by streaks  
of silver over both temples and wearing the armor plate strapped to him, covering the  
left side of his massive chest. "My son," he said in that deep, confidence building  
voice of his.   
  
Nic made the mistake of believing, wanting to see his father after so many years.  
He walked forward wanting to embrace him, to tell him of everything he's been through  
since his death at the hands of a Quarrymen Death Squad.   
  
When Nic was within arm's length, Goliath laughed, backhanding Nic to the floor,  
Nic cursed when he noticed the sickly yellow light coming from his arm. Fucking Shit!!,  
he thought. He forgot the warning cloud gave him.  
  
"You claim to be of my blood?" Goliath said scornfully. "You are not a gargoyle,   
but a freak of nature. Something which should not have been allowed to hatch, much  
less conceived." Goliath-Tonberry began to laugh once again.   
  
Nic snarled ferally. He charged Goliath and hit him in the head with the staff,  
staggering the lavender giant. Nic lunged forward, hitting Goliath in the Solar Plexus  
with the length of his staff, driving Tonberry to it's knees. Nic knew it would only stun  
Tonberry for a moment, so he continued his assault. Relentless in his pursuit in  
destroying this... thing using Goliath's form. He extended his fingers, stiffening them  
before driving his talons into Tonberry's chest, through the steel plate where the heart  
would be if it was indeed Goliath.   
  
He pulled the slot when it appeared without thinking twice. "Half Life" it read. He felt  
his energy drain instantly. Tonberry appeared before him once again holding up the  
damn lantern. Nic was so tired, all he wanted to do was lay into the little thing, and rip  
it to shreds.   
  
Hyena appeared before him. Nic's eyes widened. "No!" he gasped.   
  
"Don't kill me. Please, don't kill me again," she pleaded, "They lied to you, this isn't  
an illusions. It's so very real. Let me live." she said simply. Looking almost like a  
frightened young woman.   
  
Nic stared for a long while, his heart twisting in place. Had Cloud lied? His question  
was answered when Hyena grinned insanely, before rushing him. Nic was caught by  
surprise as he felt Hyena's armored shoulder drive into his midsection hard enough  
to knock him off his feet to land hard several yards away. Not again!!!  
  
"Sucker!" Hyena cackled as she stalked her way towards the downed Demigoyle.  
Nic rose to his feet quickly bringing up his weapon in preparation for battle.  
Hyena-Tonberry smiled evilly as blades emerged from her elbows and her fingers  
extended several inches becoming flexible spikes. She rushed Nic again, this time  
her hands outstretched to slash at him repeatedly.   
  
Nic was able to block and dodged a majority of the attacks, with only a few slipping  
past his defenses, the finger spikes cutting through his shirt and into his skin. There  
was a sharp pain across his chest, but it soon faded because of the adrenaline  
pumping through his veins.   
  
Hyena didn't get away with anything, catching the end of Nic's Bo or a powerful tail  
swipe several times across the face and ribs, her armor was littered with dents and  
scratches.   
  
Nic swung his Bo again to impact against her jaw. Hyena-Tonberry saw it coming.  
She ducked under the blow, grabbed the end of Nic's tail and swung him around a  
half rotation before releasing him, sending Nic crashing into the stone wall hard  
enough to cough up some more blood. Nic began moving, getting to his feet, his head  
starting to spin from the impact.   
  
Hyena grinned "Got'cha!!" She said aloud. Two vents opened up along the small of  
her back. With a outrush of flame, Hyena launched herself at the still dazed Nic. She  
reached out with one hand taking him by the throat mashing him against the wall,  
holding him up. Only the end of his tail was touching the ground.   
  
Nic gasped for air while struggling against his opponent's steel grip. As strong as  
he was he was no match for cyber-bionics. "Wakey, wakey." Hyena sneered at him.  
She loosened her grip just enough to let him breath. "Is it just me or does this seem  
familiar?" Hyena laughed insanely at her own joke. "But something' different. Now I  
wonder what that could be?...Oh I know..." Hyena-Tonberry grinned again as she  
extended the blades of her middle and forefingers and pulled back her hand.   
  
"Bitch." Nic slurred.   
  
Hyena smirked arrogantly, ignoring Nic. "What pretty brown eyes, little boy," she  
said. The same words the real Hyena said to him before she tore out his eyes when  
he was a child.   
  
Nic's eyes widened. He clamped his hands around Hyena-Tonberry's wrist, his  
talons digging into the joints. With all the force he could muster, he said, "Fulminos  
Venite!" Magical lightning flowed from his arms into Hyena. She shrieked in pain, the  
electricity moving easily through the metal implants. The female cyborg released him,  
the power still flowing in and around her convulsing body. She collapsed and soon   
vanished.   
  
"Last one," the Arena Master said. Nic barely heard him because of the blood  
pulsing through his pointed ears. The pull broke his weapon, and he found himself  
without his Bo.  
  
Nic glared angrily at Tonberry as he crept forward. This time Tonberry seemed to  
grin, then vanished. Nic sighed. It was over. He had done it. The fire-wall opened and  
let Miyabe step through. He walked over to her, drained, and hugged her. His breath  
was ragged. "I did it," he said.   
  
"Yes, but there is something you have to know. I can't be with you. I... I don't love  
you," Miya said. "Not anymore." A shock went through Nic. He didn't know what to do  
or say or even think. The words echoed through his mind. "I want to have Cloud's child,"  
she said. He let go of her. "Nic, don't hate me. It just happened...," she said. "I don't  
want to have a child that the world would never accept."  
  
Nic noticed that there were no bruises on her arms. Only a sick yellow light emanating...  
Something in his mind snapped. His brown eyes slowly turned black as his implants  
shifted to the Weapons H.U.D. they were originally designed for. His mind filled with a  
unbelievable rage. Nic roared, a sound no human voice could equal. His last rational  
thought being, HE DARES!?! HE DARES!?!   
  
Losing the last of his sanity, he tore into Miya-Tonberry, punching the creature so  
hard it flew across the chamber hitting the stone wall with a dull THUD!!. Tonberry  
slumped to the floor trying to rise. The rage possessed warrior slammed into Tonberry,  
pinning the shapeshifter to the wall. Nic raised his hand, quickly bringing it down   
across the pseudo-Miyabe's face, filleting it open. Holographic blood splattered the  
wall and Nic himself. The blood didn't phase the raging gargoyle, who continued to  
slash and gouge at the imposter, bellowing again when the mangled form faded then  
vanished into nothingness. He tilted his head back and roared once again in frustration.   
  
"You did it! you won!" the Arena Master said to him from behind with a congratulatory  
smile. Nic stood and growled unintelligibly before he grabbed the man by his throat.   
  
"Hurk!!!" went the Arena Master before being thrown. Nic started across the battle  
chamber, His back slightly hunched over, talons flexing open and closed continuously,  
his fangs bared in a animalistic snarl.   
  
Somehow, through the roaring of blood pumping in his ears, Nic faintly heard a voice  
yelling something he could not make out. Becoming louder as the foolish person came  
closer and closer. A sharp pain crossed his cheek. He growled deep in his throat ready  
to attack, but another voice, deep in the back of his enraged mind insisted no harm was  
to come to her. Another sharp pain formed on his other cheek. This time, the figure's words   
became understandable.   
  
"NIC! Please ! Please, calm down! Can't you hear me?"   
  
Nic eyes lightened to their normal brown. He blinked several times before realizing it  
was Miyabe standing before him. His legs buckled under his weight, falling to his knees.  
"Oh god! Not again!" he cried out, his voice hoarse.   
  
He didn't register his mate's movement of kneeling down next to him and pulling him  
into an embrace saying soothing words into his ear. Nic didn't notice the others enter  
the Arena. Dio and Tifa began to check the man laying unconscious on the floor where  
Nic had thrown him. He was alive, barely. Tifa used her healing materia to help return  
his vital signs to normal, and Dio carried the Arena Master out.  
  
"Nic, we need to get you to the Enertron," Cloud said, knowing the dangers of  
skipping it.   
  
Nic didn't reply. The sickly yellow light was shining in his mind's eye. He held on to  
Miya, clutching her and not wanting to ever let go.  
  
"Nic, can you hear me?" Miya asked softy.   
  
He nodded slightly, then realized what a hatchling he must look like. He pushed away  
from Miya and looked in her eyes. She understood what had happened. He stood up  
shakily, and Cloud instantly offered him an arm. Nic took it gratefully, and Cloud led  
him to the Enertron.   
  
Nic stood inside the machine, silently praying it would make him forget everything.  
While it relieved him of fatigue and healed his injuries, it didn't erase his memory. He  
stepped out, searching the crowd of faces for Miya's. She was the only one here that  
understood. He needed her with him...   
  
"Miya!" he called out when he couldn't see her. She was by his side, touching his  
arm. He was having a breakdown, he could feel it. The sea of faces smiling and cheering  
for him made his stomach churn.   
  
"Cloud! Didn't Dio say we had rooms in a hotel here?" Miya asked. Cloud nodded  
and began leading them through the crowd. Yuffie and Barret followed them. Cid  
stayed behind with Tifa. He led them to an elevator and pressed the button reading,  
"Ghost Hotel."   
  
"Are you okay?" Cloud asked Nic. Again, Nic did not answer. Cloud tried again, but  
this time to someone who could give him some answers. "Is he okay, Miyabe?"   
  
Miya shook her head. "He went into what's called a 'Blood Rage', it's a condition for  
gargoyles, pretty rare from what I understand." she answered.   
  
"You mean he's nuts?" Yuffie asked before thinking.   
  
Miya gave the young konoichi a venomous look. Miyabe turned back to Nic. "Anata?  
Can you hear me?" she asked.   
  
"Why do you keep asking that?" he asked quietly.   
  
"You're not answering anyone," Miya said.   
  
"I'm answering you," he said flatly. Miyabe sighed as the elevator came to a halt.   
  
Someone screamed as the door slid open. Nic's head popped up, and his hand went  
instantly to his Bo, somehow it found its way back to its harness. Cloud, Yuffie, and  
Barret stepped out as if nothing had happened. The area was dark and eerie. Headstones  
lining the path and a greenish mist flowing through the air. Cloud looked back and  
smiled. "The Ghost Hotel. It's just as spooky as it sounds, but no real danger." he said.   
  
Miya took Nic's hand, and pulled him out. He seemed so far away, she wondered  
what was going through his mind.   
  
The path led them to a large ancient looking castle, with sharp black spires, complete  
with bats circling in the light of the full moon. Miyabe had to smile at it. It looked like  
something out of a old "Hammer Films". She looked to Nic but his head was bent, lost  
in thought.   
  
Inside, a headless host greeted them. "We're sorry, but we are filled up for the night,"  
he said.   
  
"We have reservations. Dio made them." Yuffie said quickly. She didn't seem to like  
it too much at the hotel.   
  
"Oh, in that case, be our guests. Register at the front desk," he said. Miya wondered  
where he was speaking from.   
  
She looked around and noticed two ghosts playing chess in one corner, and a clock  
with a fiendish face in another. Screams filled the background. Something fell from the  
rafters. It was a man on a noose, blood trickling down his tuxedo. Miya gave a yelp of  
surprise and Nic's head popped up again. She patted his hand as she began laughing  
a bit at the deskman.   
  
"Reservations only," the hangman said.   
  
"Yes, for Cloud Strife, please," Cloud said, pulling out I.D. from his wallet.   
  
Soon enough, Miyabe and Nic were alone in their room. Nic sat on the edge of the  
bed staring blankly at his hands, flexing them experimentally.   
  
Miya sat beside him, pushing his long dark hair behind his ear so she could see him  
"Anata, doshta no?" she asked in Japanese, What's the matter? "You won, isn't that  
enough?"  
  
Nic shook his head. "They didn't do anything to me," he whispered.   
  
"Yes they did. They made you angry. That was enough to do it," she said.   
  
Nic looked at her. "I don't feel well. Between the fight and losing it, I really don't feel  
well," he said.   
  
"Lie down," Miya said. As he obeyed, she pulled off his shoes then checked for  
fever or any other signs of actual illness. He was fine. "I'm going to get you some  
water." she said.   
  
Nic grabbed her hand, not wanting her to leave his side. "Stay. Onegai. Stay," he  
asked quietly. Miya sat back down at his side and he gently pulled her down beside  
him. "Stay with me," he whispered in her ear. She found herself in a position somewhere  
between sitting up and lying down, with her mate cradled in her arms.   
  
"Gomen nasai...," he said.   
  
"Doushite? Winning the trigger?" she asked.   
  
"Ie. For hurting you," he said.   
  
"You didn't hurt me. It was Tonberry," Miya said, only slightly worried he had attacked  
with such rage. She knew he must have somehow known it was not really her. She  
began rocking back and forth gently, his head buried deep in her shoulder.   
  
Nic did not reply. He fell into a daze. In his mind, the fight was replaying over and  
over. The way he had torn into Miya-Tonberry, the way he had thrown the Arena Master  
away like a fly... He truly was some sort of monster.   
  
His mind didn't stop there. Memories of his own world flooded his mind, all the  
fighting, the deaths. The way he had destroyed Hyena caught up with him yet again.  
It was all hitting him at once, and he felt so weak...   
  
Miya could almost feel the exact moment Nic slipped into the depths of his mind  
and lost touch with his surroundings. Every once in a while, he would begin to shake,  
or wince, or clutch her tightly, or give small moans. All she could do was kiss his  
head rocking him gently, repeating aloud that it was all right, that she was there with  
him and would not let anything happen. She hoped that it would help.   
  
Tifa knocked on the door, and Miya told her to come in. Cloud was behind her. The  
smile on Tifa's face vanished at the site of Nic. "Oh, gods, is he okay?" Tifa asked.   
  
Miya nodded. "He'll be fine, I think. He just needs to rest and try to put this behind  
him."   
  
Nic winced, his eyes flying wide open. But his eyes saw nothing but a sick yellow  
light. He could feel Miya there beside him, and he knew that he loved her and she  
loved him, and that she was waiting patiently for him to get through this. Anything  
else was beyond his comprehension at that point.   
  
"Well, do you want to practice riding anymore tonight?" Tifa asked. Quickly berating  
herself for asking such a stupid question.  
  
Nic somehow sensed he was about to be left alone, and held tight to Miya. Miya   
yelped from his tight grip, and he instantly let up. "I think I'm needed here more. We  
can practice tomorrow before the race," she said. After all, she had managed to stay  
on the thing for at least five minutes.   
  
Tifa nodded. "All right. You two take care. See you in the morning."   
  
They exchanged goodnights, and soon Miya was alone with Nic again. "Fight it,  
Anata. Hiyaku and come back to me." she whispered to him. She felt tired, and slid  
down in the bed as far as Nic's hold would let her. She kissed his forehead and  
seemed to know he had fallen asleep somehow.  
  
END PART 3  



	4. A Day at the Races

DIMENSIONS  
by  
The Ionic Butterfly(aurelia_@yahoo.com)   
Ranwolf(ranwolf@hotmail.com)  
  
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters   
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square and Squaresoft.   
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,   
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed   
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)  
  
CHAPTER 4: 4: A DAY AT THE RACES  
  
  
Nic awoke later that night in Miya's arms. He was burning with a need. If he didn't  
find a bathroom soon, his bladder would burst. He looked at Miya. She seemed to be  
so peaceful. He wiggled out of her arms carefully, so he would not wake her. He looked  
about the room. He vaguely remembered being led into it. It was the creepiest room  
he had ever seen in his life. It looked dank and dreary, cob-webs were in every corner   
of the room. Ragged tapestries hung from the ceiling, showing gruesome depictions of  
death. Despite the appearance the room was warm, the bed soft and comfortable. It was  
all for show. He saw a door in a corner, and guessing it was the bathroom, went to it.  
He guessed correctly.  
  
He relieved himself and then turned to the basin. He almost smiled at the fact that  
a statue gargoyle held it up. He washed his hands and then his face, then stared in the  
mirror. He looked tired, ragged, he always looked the same after he "Raged". It was  
something he would never get used to seeing.  
  
Then he remembered everything...   
  
It all came back to him at once. Strangely, it wasn't bothering him as much as he expected.  
He returned to the bed, carefully sitting down and crossing his legs. His back was to Miya  
as he began to think about the day's events with a calmer mind. He had panicked, that  
was all. Nothing was really wrong, he had went into a rage and then came out in a  
panic. He wondered if the Arena Master was okay. Miya had been right, it was not  
entirely his fault. He blamed that damned Tonberry for that. If he had not have tricked  
him with Miya... It saw his fear of going into a rage and hurting someone he cared for.  
Tonberry wasn't going for a physical victory but a mental one. And, in that sense, it won.   
  
Nic sighed deeply. For some reason, his thoughts went to his own world again, all  
the hell he had been through, and mainly to Alex Xanatos. Alex had been his brother  
in all ways but blood, and had given his life for Nic to use the Dim/Time Machine. Nic  
remembered Alex's last words to him before pushing him into the temporal vortex,   
"Give Mom a kiss for me." He winced with the very thought, and felt an arm creep   
around his shoulder.   
  
It was Miya. Her chin was soon resting on his shoulder and her arms hugging him.  
He took hold of one of her hands and kissed it gently. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said.   
  
"Are you okay?," she asked at the same time.   
  
They both smiled. "I'm a little shaken, Beloved." he said.   
  
"You don't have to apologize." she said.   
  
A silence fell between them for a few moments, then Nic said, "I could never hurt  
you. I know you saw the way I tore into that thing, but I knew it wasn't you after a few  
moments."   
  
"I didn't worry about it, hon. But how did you know it wasn't me?"   
  
"I could see that light in him, her, it, whatever...," Nic said. After a moment, he  
added, "And there was some... things said."   
  
"Like?"   
  
"Don't worry about it. I don't even want to repeat it," he said truthfully.   
  
"Onegai...(Please...)"   
  
Nic sighed. "Something about you not loving me and wanting to have an affair with  
Cloud."   
  
Miya laugh softly behind him. "Well, you know that's not true... though now that you  
mention it...," she said, grinning.   
  
"Tifa would kill the both of you," he said. "Then she'll probably come after me." Miya  
loosened her grip on him as he went back to his thinking.   
  
He thought about Hyena, not Hyena-Tonberry, the real one. He had no idea how to  
make the hellish thoughts stop. He tensed when Miya's hand slowly crept across his  
back, to that one spot between his shoulder-blades. Nic felt her kiss his back, he let  
out a soft, shuddering breath. He suddenly needed her badly.   
  
"Miya..." he said, turning to face her. She only looked at him in reply. "I need you,"  
he said. A moment later, he added, "Badly." She stared into his eyes for a few  
moments. "I mean it," he said.   
  
She grinned at him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Christmas? It will be here in a  
few moments...," she got out before he smothered her words with his open mouth.   
  
He was a little frenzied, and hurt her a little once or twice, but she didn't mind. The  
rest of his lovemaking definitely made up for it. Gentle and passionate all at once.   
  
Afterwards, they laid on their sides, Nic's head laying on her shoulder. She had  
whispered something about loving him with all her heart, and fallen asleep. His mind  
was not as troubled now. It thought of much more pleasant things.   
  
He realized that Miya was his soul's relief. That she was somehow his reward for  
surviving all the hell he had been through. Miya made his life worth living. He loved her  
so damn much. Not for the first time thinking, My life, my soul, my very being, for you.   
  
/* "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" Aerosmith *\  
  
(Ranwolf: A-re? Why'd you pick that song, Ionic?  
Ionic Butterfly: Wait and watch :) )  
  
He played with her braid with one hand. He adjusted his position until he was lying  
on his side beside her, instead of halfway on her. Now his hand was above her left  
breast, feeling her gentle heartbeat. He was tired, but he didn't want to go to sleep.  
He noticed that her eyes were moving behind her closed lids, and he knew she was  
dreaming. She was smiling slightly. He didn't want to move, ever. He wanted  
to stay there with her just like that forever.   
  
He wondered what she was dreaming about. With her smile, he hoped genuinely  
that she was dreaming of him. He gently kissed each of her eyes, smiling himself. He  
was so glad just to be with her. Whatever god had put him there in her arms, he wanted  
to thank. He laughed softly to himself as he thought about how he really, really did not  
want to move or go to sleep. If he went to sleep, then the night would end. And he might  
miss Miya. And he didn't want to miss a thing.   
  
(Ranwolf: O_o That was very cheesy, Ionic.  
Ionic Butterfly: *Bonks Ranwolf upside the head with a mallet* I like it so it's staying.  
Ranwolf: *Holding a ice-pack to his head* Anyone have a Aspirin? )  
  
A few hours later, Miya opened her eyes slowly. She smiled to see him still awake  
and smiling at her. "What are you doing, you loon?" she asked softly, reaching up to  
wipe the hair from his eyes.   
  
"Watching you," he answered. Miya laughed and rolled on top of him. He pulled the  
blankets around her bare shoulders, it had gotten cold in the room. "And what are you  
doing, you beauty?" he asked.   
  
Miya laid her head on his chest in response. Nic rubbed her back, scratching gently  
with his talons. She giggled a bit. He stopped. A few moments later, she was kissing  
his shoulder. He used his tail to rub her legs. She began giggling again. "Quit that,"  
she said.   
  
"Nope. Not gonna happen," he said teasing her and trying to keep a straight face.  
His tail moved a bit higher.   
  
Miya gasped. She raised her head up and stared him in the eye. "I said quit that."  
she said still giggling. He let his tail go limp with a pout on his face. She kissed him,  
and soon they found themselves making love again.   
  
*****  
  
Miyabe awoke the next morning to find Nic staring at her again with a smile on his  
face. She looked at him and hid her face in the pillow they had somehow shared.   
"What?" he asked innocently. She was tired, and her body was too. Her body was  
also pretty sore from the night before.   
  
"Miya, hon, are you all right?" he asked seriously.   
  
She looked up at him and debated telling him the truth for a few seconds. "Yes,   
I'm fine. Just a bit sore," she said in a half-truth.   
  
"Oh geez, I'm sorry...," he started before she put a finger to his lips.   
  
"Don't you dare apologize, Anata. That would be an insult. Almost like saying you are  
sorry for loving me," she said.   
  
Nic nearly apologized again, but Miya grinned at him to let him know she understood.  
He kissed her, and rolled out of the bed. Miya was just a bit quicker than him though.  
She ran past him into the bathroom and slammed the door in his face.   
  
"Miya! Please hurry, hon," he said, banging his head against the door. He sighed  
and pulled on his jeans and shirt. As he heard the shower water turn on, he walked  
outside the room to find some of his friends, thinking one of them would let him borrow  
their bathroom for a minute or two. Miya was likely to take another hour or two, or a  
week.   
  
He heard a baby crying above all the fiendish screams and bellows that came with  
the territory. Hoping it was Tomas, he knocked on a room door. Aeris answered. He  
smiled to see her.   
  
"Nic, are you okay?" Cloud asked, a screaming baby in his arms.   
  
Nic nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know where any spare bathrooms can be found  
here?"   
  
"Miya locked you out? Tifa shut me out too. Go down to the lobby, past the clock  
is a public bathroom," Cloud said smiling.   
  
Nic smiled back at him and headed for the bathroom. He had not noticed how  
ornate the hotel was the night before. Blood red carpet, a deep, rich colored oak  
banisters, ghastly portraits hanging on the wall... It was all so gothic, he loved it. The  
lobby was full of people, and some seemed to recognize him.   
  
"Hey, that's him." he heard people say. He just walked past them and went to take  
care of his business.   
  
He returned to his room to find Miya dressed. "I hurried, hon, did you think I was  
going to be long?" she asked. He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he went  
to take a shower himself.   
  
*****  
  
Miya hit the ground yet again, this time flat on her bum. Instead of Tifa at her side,  
it was Nic. She didn't want him seeing her fail, and wished he would leave. She knew  
better than to ask him though. It would hurt his feelings too bad right now.   
  
Her body was so sore from the night before, it hurt to even get on the chocobo.  
As Nic helped her up, she groaned.   
  
"What's wrong?" Tifa asked.   
  
Miya glanced to Nic. "I'm just sore," she admitted.   
  
Tifa looked at Nic trying his best to hide a blush that was quickly spreading. She  
sighed. "Out," she told him, pointing at the door to Atmas' stable.   
  
"What? No, I'm staying," Nic said, folding his arms in defiance.   
  
"Do you want me to help her or not? I can't do it with you here," Tifa said, folding  
her arms mockingly.   
  
Nic looked to Miya who was biting her lip. He realized she wanted him to leave.  
He sighed. Jamming his hands into his coat pockets, he sulkingly made his way out  
of the stables.  
  
"He give you a rough time, last night, did he?" Tifa asked smiling, walking toward  
Miya. She held her hands up and they turned green. After a few seconds all of Miya's  
discomfort vanished. "I had to learn to do that to live with Cloud," Tifa said with a wink.   
  
Cloud and Yuffie suddenly barged in, with Nic right behind them. "If they can come  
in, so can I," he justified.   
  
"One more thing Miyabe. It might help. Riding a chocobo has the same rhythm as  
riding...," she stopped looking at the people in the stable. She whispered something in  
Miya's ear.   
  
Miya's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. "No!" she laughed.  
Tifa nodded.   
  
"What?" Nic, Cloud, and Yuffie demanded at the same time.  
  
(Ranwolf: Yeah, what? *blinking*  
Ionic Butterfly: *rolls her eyes* )  
  
Tifa and Miya just smiled. "Don't worry about it," Tifa said.   
  
Miyabe hopped back on Atmas. This time she stayed on as the thing began moving.  
She knew she would not fall off again. She laughed as she took the chocobo around  
the stable at a faster pace.   
  
*****  
  
At two o'clock, Miya was on the back of the golden chocobo known as Atmas. She  
was nervous, but very determined. If she lost this race, then all that Nic had went through  
the night before had been in vain.   
  
She glanced to her side at Teioh on his black chocobo. She's been told he was  
really good. He looked back at her with a sly smile on his face. He had given all the  
women a rose before the race, "In way of apology when I win." He said. Miya had  
thrown the rose to the floor and stepped on it, crushing it beneath her foot.   
  
"Beautiful AND feisty, oh I love it." Teioh said. He reminded Miya of a Zorro reject  
in his black cape, hat, and mask. She had to admit though, it did make him look pretty  
good.   
  
Nervous warks came from the chocobos as they waited for the flash of light that  
signaled the start of the race.  
  
"You can do it, Miya!" Miya heard Nic shout from the sidelines. She smiled and  
looked toward him. The light flashed, and Atmas took off, nearly throwing Miya. She  
struggled to stay on, using Tifa's advice.   
  
She watched as Teioh took off in front of her, looking at her and tipping her hat to  
her as he passed. His arrogance made her mad. She squeezed the chocobo with her  
legs like she had been taught to make him go faster. Soon, all the other racers were  
behind her, save for Teioh, who is less than four yards ahead.   
  
Teioh's chocobo warked with glee, and missed a step, making him stumble. Miya  
kept pushing Atmas, and when she passed Teioh, she smiled at him and flipped him  
off casually. She could be arrogant too.  
  
Miya and Teioh took turns in the lead, Miya was in front as the finish line came  
into view. She could see Teioh in the corner of her eye, gaining on her. She squeezed  
the chocobo hard, and it warked. It took off at tremendous speed, leaving Teioh way  
behind.   
  
She was so relieved when she crossed the finish line first. Nic was there. He helped  
her down off Atmas and hugged her tightly. "We're going home!" he whispered to her.   
  
A crowd gathered around them, trying to congratulate her. It had been a while  
since Teioh had been beaten. Nic hoisted her up on his shoulder and carried her  
through the crowd. She could not stop laughing.   
  
*****  
  
"Well, you've won the set. But if you don't mind, I'd like to make a big production  
of it. I can make a little more money that way...," Dio said.   
  
Miya looked at Nic. He grinned at her. "Everything's a profit," he said. "Sounds like  
Xanatos."   
  
"Nandate?!(What did you say?!)" Miya said in mock anger. "That's my boss you're  
talking about!"   
  
"Profit? Nah. The money made here goes to towns still trying to rebuild themselves  
from the wars," Dio said.   
  
"Really?" Miya asked.   
  
"Oh yeah. He sponsors so many charities it ain't funny," Barret said. "I'm surprised  
he didn't win any humanitarian awards or somethin'."   
  
Nic shrugged. "We can stay or leave, Miya. Your choice." he said.   
  
"You guys can have free passes to any attraction here if you want them, and you  
can stay another night at the hotel," Dio offered.   
  
Miya grinned. "Set it up then."  
  
END PART 4  



	5. Homeward Bound

DIMENSIONS  
by  
The Ionic Butterfly(aurelia_@yahoo.com)   
Ranwolf(ranwolf@hotmail.com)  
  
All Gargoyles characters belong to Disney/Buena vista studios. Characters   
from the Final Fantasy series, Chronotrigger etc. belong to Square and Squaresoft.   
The Characters of Nic Maza and Miyabe Tendo belong to Ranwolf and Ionic,   
respectively. C&C are always welcomed. Flames will be read, considered, laughed   
at, then burned. (Get it? Flames? Burned? ^_^)  
  
EPILOUGE: WELCOME HOME  
  
Dio had set up the formal ceremony in the Event Square, followed by a dinner and  
dance in the reception hall. Miya had been fitted for a dress and Nic for a tux. Nic had  
a hard time trying to get the tailor to make his tux a little bigger than a good fit, but  
finally won the argument. The events would start at 9:00 p.m. and last the whole night.  
They had all day to play around in the giant amusement park.   
  
Aeris had begged her dad to take her to the Wonder Square. Tifa wanted to take  
Yuffie and Miya to play in other places. Since it was only girls going with Miya, Nic  
decided to follow the men to the Wonder Square.   
  
Miya and the girls played on roller coasters and in the Speed Square. Nic was  
having a grand time playing "Mog House," a video game. Aeris was watching him  
intently, showing him how to play. Tomas was shouting, "Da-da," from his dad's arms.  
Cid took Aeris to play with the crane machines.   
  
A time later Nic stood before a simulator when Miya showed up. Tifa took Tomas  
from Cloud. "Take Nic in there," she told Cloud.   
  
"Nic, have you ever had a fantasy? I mean, like when you were little, did you ever  
want to join the army or something?" Cloud asked.   
  
Nic looked at him. "Not really," he answered.   
  
"Didn't you ever want to be a superhero, or say, a movie star, or something?" Tifa  
asked.   
  
"Well, I guess. I always liked westerns and always wanted to be in a saloon fight,  
like in a John Wayne movie," Nic said smiling.   
  
Cloud grinned. He had no idea who John Wayne was, but he went with it. "Okay,  
saloon fight it is, who's coming?" he asked.   
  
Nic swallowed. "I can't, Cloud. I don't want to lose it again," he said.   
  
"Nah. You won't. This machine only reads your mind to see the situation you want.  
You'll win no matter what. It won't mess with you," Cloud said.   
  
Miya put her arm around his waist. "Come on. It'll be fun," she said smiling up at  
him. While Cid stayed with Tomas and Aeris, the others went inside the simulator.   
  
*****  
  
Nic found himself sitting at a table, in a saloon with a bar and spittoons and a  
player-piano wearing out the song "You Are My Sunshine."   
  
He found himself dressed in the fashion of the time, right down to his snakeskin boots,  
leather chaps, and ten-gallon hat. A badge over the left side of his chest, declared him  
Sheriff. Cloud was dressed the similarly, only he was the deputy. Yuffie looked cute in  
her cowboy get-up too. Barret was behind the bar, playing bartender. Miya was missing.  
Tifa sat in Cloud's lap in a very skimpy and low-cut dress, there was no doubt she had  
the body for it.  
  
As if Cloud knew what he was thinking, he grinned and shook his head. Tifa was  
smiling at Cloud's hand in the poker game. Nic suddenly knew it was his turn to lay  
down cards, and knew his lines like this whole charade was a well-written western.   
  
"Read 'em weep, boys... And one gal," he said, smiling at Yuffie. "Four Kings."  
  
Yuffie frowned "Damn!" she said slapping her cards on the table.   
  
The man dressed in black, Ace, cursed. "Yer cheatin' Sheriff. I know ya are," he  
accused.   
  
Nic chuckled to himself before putting on an insulted face. The whole bar went  
silent. Nic knew his line. "What did you just call me? My ears seem to be deceivin'  
me today." He stood up slowly. Ace rose too, and moved to Nic's side. He grinned   
ferally at the hologram that barely reached his nose. Ace spat in his face. Nic easily  
kept his anger in check, enjoying the situation. He took hold of Ace's tie and wiped  
his face of the spittle.   
  
"Take it outside," Barret warned, brandishing a club of somekind.   
  
"Aw, he ain't worth it boss," Cloud said calmly, shuffling the cards. The two men sat  
back down, glaring at each other.  
  
Nic took a drink of the beer in front of him while watching Ace closely. The beer was  
warm and tasted like piss. He glanced at the saloon doors as a lady walked through.  
She was dressed in a lavender dress adorned with lace, and a lavender parasol rested  
on her shoulder. A thick braid was pulled over her shoulder. She was so beautiful Nic  
had to remind himself to breathe.   
  
She slowly walked to the bar and sat down. She locked eyes with him for a  
moment, then looked away giggling. It was Miyabe. Nic stood and went to join her.  
Ace frowned at him for leaving the game before having a chance to win his money  
back.   
  
"Howdy, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat to her and then leaning against the bar.  
His tail swaying playfully from side to side.   
  
"Is that how your momma taught you to talk to a lady?" Miya asked, actually doing  
a decent job of faking the proper accent.  
  
Nic grinned. She had her lines too apparently. "I'm the sheriff of these here parts,  
and I don't recall having seen you around before," he said.   
  
"Well, my Oji...Uncle Ace is letting me stay with him for the summer. Are you  
gonna buy me a drink or just sit there gaping all day?" Miya asked, smiling sweetly.   
  
Nic told Barret to get the lady a drink. She was handed a glass of red wine. "You're  
uncle know you drink that stuff?" Nic asked.   
  
"What my uncle don't know ain't gonna hurt 'em, Sheriff," Miya said, getting into  
the accent.  
  
"Well, how's about we make a little bet over here at the poker table?" Nic suggested.   
  
"Ain't gonna be no betting with my niece," Ace yelled from the table.   
  
Nic looked over at the man. "Then I make you a deal you can't resist. All my money,  
all seven hundred dollars, against one kiss from the lady," Nic said, adjusting his hat.   
  
Ace twirled his dark mustache that seemed to curl upward. He looked at Miya, and  
she was smiling innocently at the sheriff. "You got it," he finally said, returning to the  
poker table.   
  
Nic tipped his hat to Miya, grinning. "Be right back for my kiss, missy," he said.   
  
"Forgive me if I don't hold my breath." Miya said in such a way she clearly meant  
the opposite.   
  
Cloud handed the cards to Ace to deal. Nic looked at him, and suddenly Nic  
remembered that anything he did in here, he would win. He grinned at Cloud as Miya  
came up behind him to put her hands on his shoulders. "Gom bata ne. (Good luck.)"  
She bent down to whisper in his pointed ear.   
  
Nic waited until all his cards were dealt before tapping them on the table. He  
spread them out slowly. Ten of spades, jack of spades, queen of spades, king of  
spades... Nic felt Miya's grip on his shoulder tighten. He fought to keep his face  
straight as he looked at the last card. Two of hearts. Nic nearly swore aloud. He was  
supposed to win!   
  
He laid the two down slowly and motioned for another card. He slowly raised it,  
and had to keep from yelling out when he saw the ace of spades.   
  
Ace took two cards and his face was giving nothing away. Nic's mind was repeating  
the phrase, "I beat you! I beat you!" over and over like a little kid.   
  
"Well, I sure hope you got something better than a full house, ace high, buddy,"  
Ace said smiling and laying his cards down.   
  
Nic shook his head as he lay down his royal flush grinning. Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie  
cried out in pseudo-amazement. "Well damn," Cloud laughed.  
  
"Damn, missy, fates must want the kiss to happen to deal me a hand like that,"  
Nic said, turning to Miya. He stood up and she threw her arms around him kissing  
him before he had the chance to move. His eyes widened with surprise at first, but  
then he closed them.   
  
When it was over, he heard Ace behind him saying, "You're a cheater."   
  
Nic tipped his hat to Miya. "It might be best if you step away," he warned. As he  
turned around to face Ace, the gambler sucker punched him in the jaw. He fell across  
the table, and sat up, rubbing his jaw and grinning.   
  
"That wasn't very nice." Nic's eyes flashed black for a moment.  
  
"Boss?" Cloud asked. He was looking at the door where a lot of Ace's men had  
just walked in. They looked drunk and ready to fight.   
  
Nic looked at Cloud. Tifa ran to a corner with Yuffie and Miya. Yuffie pulled away  
from the older woman's grip and joined the two in the middle of the room. Barret was  
suddenly beside Nic and Cloud. The four found themselves back to back surrounded  
by a good dozen men. "Well, boss? What do we do?" Cloud asked.  
  
"What's the plan, o fearless one?," Yuffie asked, eyeing two goons that looked like  
they deserve a beating.  
  
"What else can we do?" Nic said. He looked to the men surrounding him and growled.   
"Get the can opener, boys and girl, we're having some 'Whup-ass' tonight! He spun  
around catching the closest man in the face with the heel of his boot, knocking a man  
off his feet. The fight was on.   
  
Cloud was kicking, punching, whatever he could to keep the men off him. Nic  
laughed as Barret grabbed two men by the throat and rammed their heads together,  
knocking them out cold. Nic turned back to his own fight just in time to see a fist  
coming at him, hitting him in the nose. He wiped it and saw blood on his hand. He  
kicked the man in front of him in the kiwis, so hard that he actually flew up, his   
head went through the ceiling and the man hung there.  
  
Nic barked a laugh. Now this is how to have fun. He saw Yuffie doing martial arts  
moves, which would make Kathy Long look like a rank amateur, against the advancing  
men. Tifa was also holding her own, picking up a chair and slamming it across the  
back of one of the men. Miya was missing. He looked to the door and saw her tossed  
over Ace's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She was kicking and punching and screaming  
to no avail. Or was she laughing? Nic couldn't tell for sure.   
  
"Go on after her, well hold this down!" Cloud yelled. The blond man eldowed one guy  
in the throat and tossed another out the window. He grinned at Nic. He let out a surprised  
yelp as three men tackled him.  
  
Nic was quick to follow. The world flashed as he stepped outside, and he suddenly  
found him on horseback. He was surprised at how well he rode considering he had   
never been on a horse before. He was chasing down Ace and Miya. He came to a   
railroad track, and could hear a train coming. He looked a little ways down and saw   
Miya tied to the tracks. "You've got to be kidding me."   
  
He jumped off his horse and ran to her. He could now see the train as he quickly  
began untying the ropes. "Please, help me, sheriff!" Miya yelled. She was still giggling.  
  
"That's some uncle you got there, missy," he said working on the ropes, he would've  
pulled her up first but the ropes were tied around the rail as well.  
  
Miya shrugged as best she could. "I was adopted?," She offered as an excuse.  
  
The knot was too complicated, so he cheated, slashing the ropes with his talons. He  
rolled her off the tracks just in time, the train rushed by them, kicking up enough dirt to  
choke a herd of elephants.   
  
Nic found himself lying over Miya, the both of them were covered in dirt. "If you're gonna  
kiss her, ya better do it. The timer is about to go off and this will be over," Cloud warned  
from behind. Nic smirked and kissed her. A loud buzzer rang out, and Nic found himself  
standing in a large dome that was the simulator. "Tell me that wasn't fun, boss," Cloud  
said.   
  
Nic's nose no longer hurt and he knew it was all illusion. "We have to bring the  
clan here someday," he said to Miyabe.  
  
"You two had best get over to the tailor's shop and get your clothes and get ready.  
It's almost eight," Tifa said.   
  
Nic nodded. "Cloud, about Tifa..." he started.   
  
"You think you made her look like that? Nah, the machine put us how we wanted to  
be. She was just showing off." Cloud grinned. Nic nodded and headed for the shop.   
  
*****  
  
The ceremony went well. The Arena Master had awarded Nic the Chronotrigger,   
his arm was in a sling. He had smiled at Nic and said something about putting in for   
retirement. Nic had apologized, but the Arena Master would hear nothing of it.   
Saying he should have realized something was wrong when Nic's "Rage Pattern"  
spiked to unprecedented levels.  
  
Esther, the woman who arranged the chocobo races, awarded Miya the gate key.   
  
Miya and Nic were now seated in the reception hall with their friends at the table  
of honor. Miya was dressed in a deep blue satin-like dress that went to her ankles.  
Her hair had been braided carefully with deep blue ribbons adorning it. Nic wore a  
slightly oversized tuxedo. He kept fidgeting with the tie that was too tight. At one  
point ready to tear the damn thing off.   
  
They had just finished dinner of some sort of fish. Musicians had been playing soft  
classical music somewhere in the background. Now that dinner was over, the musicians  
packed up and left. A live band came onto stage. Their name was Angelic Tendencies  
and they played what Nic could call love songs. Cloud and Tifa got up to dance, and  
Barret asked Yuffie to. Miya and Nic were left alone with Cid, who soon excused  
himself to the bathroom.   
  
"Want to dance?" Miya asked when Nic didn't ask.   
  
"Not really. I mean, I can't dance that well and you know that. I don't want to step  
on your feet here in front of everyone," Nic answered.   
  
Miya smiled at him, not letting him know she really wanted to dance. She looked  
up and saw Teioh walking toward their table. He smiled at her.   
  
"Would m'lady honor me with a dance?" he asked suavely.   
  
Nic glared at the man. "She dancing with me, thank you very much," Nic growled  
in answer. Teioh's face paled as Nic's eyes momentarily turned black. He mumbled  
something under his breath that sounded like an apology and quickly disappeared  
from the reception. Miya tried to keep the grin off her face as Nic helped her out of her  
chair and led her to the dance floor. He held her close and actually kept his feet off hers.  
She rested her hand gently on the place between his shoulder blades. She smiled at  
him. "Unless you're planning on getting very friendly in front of all these people, keep  
it still," he warned with a smile.   
  
They danced a few more dances before Cloud suggested they leave and go back  
to their rooms. On their way, they passed a man dressed in red standing beside a  
giant stuffed Mog with a cat on its shoulders. "Would you like your fortunes told?"   
the man asked as they passed. He grinned.   
  
"Reeve!" Cloud shouted and shook the man's hand.   
  
Nic and Miya were introduced. "So seriously," Reeve said when the introductions  
were over. "Would you like your fortunes told?"   
  
"Sure," Yuffie said. Reeve hit the cat in the back, and soon a piece of paper fell  
from the Mog's mouth. "You will find what you seek," she read aloud. "What kind of  
fortune is that, Reeve?" she asked, pretty mad.   
  
Reeve shrugged. "How about you two?" he asked, looking at Miya and Nic. Nic  
nodded and Reeve punched the cat.   
  
"Within a year, the two will be three," it read. "and the three, four."  
  
"Sometimes you get bum readings like that. Let me try again," Reeve said.   
  
"You will soon take a trip in which you could very well lose your head."   
  
Reeve punched the cat pretty hard this time.   
  
"One of your blood will battle the forces of heaven itself."   
  
"I don't know what is with it tonight. It usually gives decent readings," Reeve said,  
kicking the Mog.   
  
Another piece of paper popped out "Stop hitting me you lugnut!!"   
  
Everyone laughed.   
  
*****  
  
"So, do you guys want to stay, or would you rather be getting home?" Cloud  
asked in the lobby of the hotel.   
  
Nic and Miya looked at each other. "We should probably get back. After all, if a  
year has passed, the clan is probably really worried about us, I've lost my job and  
Cassi probably found a new roommate... Oh God, Nic, we do need to get back,"  
Miya said, beginning to worry.   
  
"All right, but calm down, okay?" Nic said, hugging her.   
  
Miya looked up at him. "Nic, this is serious," she said.   
  
"Whatever is there when we get back doesn't matter. We'll be together and can  
rough anything," he said to her. "'Sides, I'm sure Xanatos will put you back on the  
payroll."  
  
"Tifa and I should probably get back to the 7th Heaven, too. Shera is probably  
going nuts trying to run the place," Cloud said.   
  
"Yeah. Let's go get our stuff and get out of this place," Yuffie said, not thrilled with  
the prospect of spending another night at the Ghost Hotel.  
  
*****  
  
"So does this gate just work any old time?" Miya asked.   
  
"Yeah, I think so, because it's still here." Cloud said. They had taken the Highwind  
to the spot where the gate was.   
  
Miya held the key up and the gate grew larger. "Sugoi(Wow)," she muttered.   
  
Nic adjusted the Chronotrigger to infinity. "Well, everyone, it's been fun. We'll try  
to visit," he said.   
  
Everyone exchanged good-byes and Miya held up the key again, making the gate  
enlarge. Nic took Miya's hand as they stepped through. As they "fell" through the  
portal, it occurred to Nic that he and Miya may never see Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, or any  
of the others again. Which is too bad, he would have liked to have seen the clan's  
reaction to Midgar.   
  
They landed on their feet this time, gently. Nic looked down the street at The End  
of Time. the sight he saw made him frown.   
  
Gaspar was there, talking to two people. The people looked at him and waved. It  
was Masa and Mune. "What the hell?" Nic said aloud.   
  
Mune hid behind his brother. "Now just calm down," Gaspar said, "No anger please."   
  
"What is going on?" Nic asked after he and Miya were closer.   
  
"I needed these two to take care of some business for me," Gaspar said.   
  
"Yes," Masa and Mune said in unison.   
  
"You see, Nic, these two possess a great power. Masa understands all strength,  
and Mune understands all knowledge. Together, they make Masamune, a legendary  
figure that is extremely powerful. What some would call a god. It's their job to prevent  
all these worlds from ending up here or in other words facing their destruction," Gaspar  
said. "What you hold in your hands could indirectly trigger, excuse the pun, your  
world's Apocalypse."  
  
Nic looked at the Chronotrigger. "This thing could cause the world's destruction?  
If it fell into the wrong hands...," he started.   
  
"Exactly. That's why I have to ask that you give it back," Gaspar said.   
  
"To who?" Nic asked.   
  
"Masa and Mune. They will take you through the gate and then come back, sealing  
the gate. By sealing the gate, none of the creatures that plague Cloud's world can  
reach yours," Gaspar said.   
  
"Wait a minute. Masa and Mune can't come with us. Only three can go through a  
gate," Miya butted in.   
  
Masa and Mune looked at one another. They held hands, and suddenly a bright  
light surrounded them. They seemed to actually merge together. They became so  
bright that everyone had to shield eyes. When the light was gone, they looked down  
where the brothers had been standing. A simple yet beautiful katana, with a leather  
bound hilt and gold blade, lay in their place. Gaspar reached down and picked it up.  
He unsheathed the blade and twirled it once. Masa's voice rang out in the air. "I'm the  
wind! I'm the wind!" he cried. Mune laughed softly.   
  
"Behold the Masamune," Gaspar said. "As one, you can take them with you." He  
handed Nic the sword carefully. "Be very careful with them," he warned.   
  
Nic felt as if he were invincible holding the sword. He knew all and could conquer  
all. The Masamune seemed to laugh at him. "The power is ours," it said, a mix of both  
voices.   
  
"Mr. Maza, I have some instructions for you," Gaspar said, "Once on the other side,  
you are to lay the Masamune down, lay down the Chronotrigger and the Gate Key.  
Also leave the maps and letter I wrote you."  
  
"Why?" Nic asked.   
  
Gaspar sighed quietly to himself. "You cannot begin to understand the space-time  
continuum, though you have some experience traveling in it. When you lay the  
things down, Masa and Mune will separate, and then put the key, 'trigger, and maps  
and letter in boxes and envelopes to give to you after going back in time. Then when  
you two get here again... Well for the first time... They will take the key and 'trigger  
from you two as you fight in Cloud's world. They will then pay Dio to make you work  
for the set, you will come back here and do everything again. They will seal it after you  
get back."   
  
"Can you understand how you get caught in a circle? Your past will be relived over  
and over. In fact, for all you know, this isn't the present or the future. This may have  
already happened and you are just reliving it."   
  
"Then what's the point of giving us the Trigger and Gate Key, if you're just going to  
take it from us anyway?," Miya asked. Gaspar didn't answer her.  
  
Nic thought for a few moments. The Masamune lent him no knowledge. "No. This  
is the first time. Because of the letter you wrote...," Nic said.   
  
"But you will or even have said that every time. And by the way, I havn't written that  
letter yet wrote that letter. It just appeared," Gaspar said.   
  
"This is confusing!" Miya yelled.   
  
"Temporal loops can do that."   
  
"I think you two should be on your way home," Gaspar said, he then turned and  
walked off into the darkness without so much as a thank you or good-bye.  
  
Nic led Miya toward the gate. "How much do you think we have missed?" Miya  
asked. The Masamune laughed. As they stepped through, they fell.   
  
Nic heard screaming first. Hudson was screaming, "NOOO!" Nic then remembered  
two night before when he and Miya first stepped through Hudson yelling as  
they vanished. He stood up looking at his watch. Three seconds past midnight. They  
had missed three seconds in their own world.   
  
"Wha... What...okay. What just happened?" Brooklyn asked.   
  
Miya looked to Nic and almost burst into laughter. He grinned at her. "Let's get  
back to the tower. We'll try to explain everything there...," Nic said, laying down the  
maps, letter, key, Chronotrigger, and the Masamune. He took Miya's hand, leading  
her off. He turned and looked at Bronx, who was sniffing the items. "Leave it alone,"  
he said.  
  
Bronx obeyed and padded over to the others. He looked at Miya curiously then  
stood by her side. For some strange reason, for the rest of the night and everytime he  
saw her afterwards, Bronx did not leave her side.   
  
THE END... for now.  
  
*****  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES  
  
Ionic Butterfly: This story was the brainchild of Ranwolf and me, Ionic. Hope you liked it.   
  
The rights for the characters and ideas for this story come from many places. Disney,  
Buena Vista, Square and Squaresoft, and Ranwolf has the rights to  
Nicodemus Maza. Miyabe Tendo is mine.   
  
Special thanks to Ran who let me use his characters and ideas for this story. With  
our minds combined, I think this story ended up pretty cool.  
  
Ranwolf: Don't let Ionic fool you. She wrote a majority of this fic, I just edited it and  
wrote the fight scene. She came up with the idea for the saloon fight too.   
  
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed this story. Ja mata na, ^_^.  



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